NBA trade impact report

Let’s break down the fantasy repercussions of this year’s deals that went down during and around the NBA draft. We’ll deal only with the four trades that involve NBA veterans. Swaps of draft picks or drafted players do not qualify. For detailed breakdowns of various drafted players’ situations, take a look here.

Minnesota sends O.J. Mayo, Marko Jaric, Antoine Walker and Greg Buckner to Memphis for Mike Miller, Kevin Love, Brian Cardinal and Jason Collins
This trade did wonders for the outlook in Minnesota. Miller and Love will join Al Jefferson and Randy Foye in the starting five. Who is the fifth member remains to be seen, but they will be a much better offense this season. I really like Foye to break out in 2008-09. He’s been dogged by the success Brandon Roy has had thus far in Portland, but he’s going to answer critics with a full bill of health and an upgrade in surrounding talent. Miller’s multi-faceted game will help take the pressure off of Foye – he’s a much better complement than Mayo would have been – and he’ll be asked to do the same types of things he did in Memphis. Jefferson and Love will give opposing bigs fits on defense (the opposite is also likely to be true) and should thrive playing off each other’s games. I’m feeling good about all the principle players in Minnesota as it stands right now. Corey Brewer was uninspiring as a rookie, but if he shows some improvement in camp his defensive abilities could land him a starting role. Look for the team to attempt to re-sign Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair and Craig Smith, with Rashad McCants also figuring in the rotation.

How things come together for the Grizzlies, who took on an extra $20 million in salary to execute this deal, is a bit hazier. What is clear: Rudy Gay will approach superstar status in his third season and Mayo will provide instant offense at SG. They are both in ideal fantasy situations. Have no doubts that both will have seriously high usage rates. If they don’t get some help, though, efficiency will suffer. The key could be Mike Conley, a disappointing rookie who needs to take a serious step forward in his second season. Darko Milicic and Hakim Warrick aren’t ideal options in real life or in fantasy but figure to round out the starting lineup for a team fairly devoid of depth. As of right now, Jaric and Walker will actually have significant roles on this team, with Kyle Lowry, Andre Brown and Darrell Arthur filling out the roster. Memphis can’t move forward with things as they are. It’s likely that Lowry is dealt for some desperately needed reinforcements in the post. Until things change it’s hard to see much fantasy gold to be mined in Memphis, outside of Gay’s ever-expanding game and Mayo’s offense.

Indiana deals Jermaine O’Neal to Toronto for T.J. Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, and 2008 #17 (Roy Hibbert)
Two teams exchanged injury-prone players to fill needs in what could be a win-win from any perspective. Indiana is ready to move past the O’Neal era and allow Danny Granger, Mike Dunleavy and Ford to be the focal points of a more up-tempo offense. Granger was an absolute stud while O’Neal missed games last season and can now be argued as a top 20 pick in fantasy drafts. The big questions are two-fold. Dunleavy resurrected his career this past season, but how will he respond to increased expectations? This team will be that much better with steady PG play, but is the gamble on Ford’s health a smart one? Jeff Foster and Troy Murphy round out the starting five, and the team has a solid collection of complementary players in place at nearly every position. Outside of the likely move to break ties with Tinsley, this roster is fairly set.

The trade was necessary for the Raptors in order to officially anoint restricted free agent Jose Calderon as their PG, and fantasy owners couldn’t be happier. He may not match his top-20 output that came while Ford was injured last season, but his hyper-efficient game will undeniably be a huge fantasy asset. O’Neal will team with Chris Bosh in the frontcourt, and health should be the concern here, not whether or not the two can play together. When they share the court, they will be a fine pairing – Bosh doing a bit more of the scoring and O’Neal handling a bit more of the rebounding and post defense. You have to imagine that both O’Neal and Bosh are giddy about the prospects of each making life easier for the other. Andrea Bargnani becomes the third big in the rotation. He may not break out in the role, but he’s more likely to post a useful fantasy season (like his rookie season) as a reserve than with the pressures and the matchups that a starting assignment presents (like last season). Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon should fill out the starting five and both will once again be serious “glue guys” in roto leagues. Carlos Delfino, Kris Humphries and Jason Kapono are the key reserves. The team needs more depth at PG and C, so another move could be in order.

Indiana trades Jerryd Bayless and Ike Diogu to Portland in exchange for Brandon Rush, Jarrett Jack, and Josh McRoberts
This looks like a case of the rich getting richer. Long-term stability at point guard was one of the few questions that remained for the Blazers, but Bayless sure looks like a pretty good answer. They traded spare parts for what should be a fantastic complement to Roy. What remains to be seen is if Bayless can move ahead of Steve Blake on the depth chart sooner than later, but regardless this is a trade that makes the Blazers a better team.

From the Pacers’ perspective, it was a case of getting depth at both guard spots in exchange for a bit more potential at one. Kareem Rush, Brandon’s brother, is a free agent and Travis Diener would be the sole depth at PG, assuming the Pacers somehow free themselves of Jamaal Tinsley.

New Jersey trades Richard Jefferson to Milwaukee for Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons
New Jersey was eager to rid itself of Jefferson’s significant salary, while Milwaukee wanted to fill the one remaining hole in their starting five. Yi, who never was comfortable playing in Milwaukee, teamed with Bobby Simmons’ salary to make the deal go through. The Nets move forward with Devin Harris and Vince Carter as locks in the starting five. They’ve extended an offer to restricted free agent Nenad Krstic, and he’ll occupy the PF spot if he does re-sign. The team was very fortunate that Brook Lopez fell to them in the draft, and he’s likely to emerge as the choice at center over the incumbent Josh Boone. Simmons is likely to step into the starting SF spot, with Bostjan Nachbar being an unrestricted free agent. Yi, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Marcus Williams, and Sean Williams round out the rotation.

Jefferson joins a starting five that already boasts significant offensive talent. There was a revolving door at SF in 2007-08, however, so any misgivings about not having enough shots to go around may be tempered by the fact that he’ll bring stability to the position. Jefferson has a well-rounded game and was never the top option for the Nets, so he should be able to adjust to his new digs. Charlie Villanueva gets an upgrade because of the trade, as his main competition for minutes has departed. The big question for the Bucks is now whether or not they move forward with what they have or attempt to make another deal, potentially involving Michael Redd or Mo Williams. Obviously a trade involving one of those two would significantly alter their situation. As it stands, Charlie Bell, Desmond Mason, Ramon Sessions, Joe Alexander and Dan Gadzuric are the main reserves.