NBA deadline trade tracker
The NBA had 12 trades completed in the week leading up to Thursday’s trade deadline. Here’s the rundown on each. Analysis by Yahoo! Sports NBA editor Johnny Ludden:
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LUDDEN ANALYSIS: The Mavericks said they had a tough time deciding to move Howard, and that raises a question: Why? Whether from injuries or his own indifference, Howard’s production has declined the past two seasons. Maybe he benefits from a change of scenery, maybe he doesn’t, but that’s no longer the Mavs’ problem, and they’re better off for it. At 29, Butler, too, may have already played his best basketball. But he’s more dependable than Howard and he has this going for him: He brought a legit 7-footer with him to Dallas. Haywood’s length is sorely needed by the Mavs, even more so now that Erick Dampier(notes) is out indefinitely after finger surgery. This trade probably won’t help the Mavericks narrow the gap between themselves and the Lakers as much as they’d like, but they’re a better team now than they were before. Credit Mark Cuban for again working aggressively to upgrade his roster. Continuity wasn’t going to lift these Mavs past the second round, if that. The Wizards, too, got what they wanted. Gun scandal or not, they need to rebuild, and this was a good start by removing nearly $15 million in salary from their books for next season.
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LUDDEN ANALYSIS: There was some sentiment around the league the Clippers could have attracted a better package for Camby had they waited until closer to the deadline. Still, any deal that brings in $1.5 million shouldn’t be scoffed at, especially when you work for an owner who just paid off a hefty discrimination lawsuit among his last bills. Outlaw has missed much of the season with a broken foot, but, when healthy, is a tremendous athlete who distinguished himself for the Blazers with his clutch scoring. He has an expiring contract, like Blake, but also could have value in a sign-and-trade this summer should the Clippers decide to not keep him for themselves. The Blazers couldn’t land Brendan Haywood, but Camby is a nice replacement for a team that lost its top two centers to season-ending injuries. Camby will rebound and defend the rim better than Portland’s other alternatives and he can still shoot from the high post. He won’t make the Blazers into a title contender, but he can help get them into the playoffs assuming Brandon Roy(notes) gets healthy. And someone probably owes him a steak at Ringside.
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LUDDEN ANALYSIS: Maybe T’wolves GM David Kahn wanted to do his old boss Donnie Walsh a favor by shaving $1 million off the Knicks’ tax bill. Who knows? At least he didn’t trade for another point guard. Both guys have expiring contracts, both don’t figure to help their new teams and both likely will be out of the league next season.
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LUDDEN ANALYSIS: This was the right deal all along for the Cavs. They didn’t have to give up J.J. Hickson(notes). They’ll likely get Ilgauskas back. And they get a forward who can space the floor for LeBron and Shaq. Amar’e Stoudemire(notes) is the better talent; he’s younger, longer, more athletic. But he wasn’t the better trade. All season long, the Cavs have been looking for a forward with deep range, and Jamison ranks among the best. He’ll be 34 in June and he has $28 million coming to him over the next two seasons. Some people call that “cost certainty.” Others have a different name for it: “bad contract.” Still, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert is willing to pay whatever it takes to bring a winner to Cleveland and convince LeBron to re-sign. The problem? It’s been said LeBron, at least initially, preferred a trade for Stoudemire. So if Jamison doesn’t work out, if the Cavs fall short of the NBA Finals, LeBron can always wag his finger, say “I told you so,” and hop a jet to New York. The Wizards, as with their other two trades, were in cost-cutting mode, something they should have considered before they handed $111 million to the goofball guard coming off two knee surgeries.
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LUDDEN ANALYSIS: Thornton had become a product of his environment in L.A. After showing promise early in his career, he left as the stereotypical Clipper: talented, yet selfish, run down by all the losing. He’s young enough to change that, but Washington hardly looks like the place where it will happen. Nice move by the Clippers; shedding Thornton’s 2010-11 salary gets them far enough under the cap to become big players in free agency this summer. Of course, the last time that happened they handed Baron Davis(notes) $65 million. Gooden is a buyout candidate.
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LUDDEN ANALYSIS: It’s hard to see Telfair having much of an impact with the Cavs. They’ve got Mo Williams(notes) and Delonte West(notes) in front of him, and, well, Telfair has yet to make much of an impact anywhere he’s gone.
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LUDDEN ANALYSIS: Give Thomas two weeks with Larry Brown. He’ll be longing for the days of Vinny Del Negro. Or Scott Skiles. Brown doesn’t have a lot of patience for mistake players, and Thomas qualifies as such. If Thomas can weather the criticism, Brown will make him a better player, provided he’s around long enough for that to happen. Thomas will be a restricted free agent this season, and he’s young and athletic enough for someone to probably bid him up. The Bulls considered this an addition-by-subtraction move. Murray can add some scoring to Chicago’s bench – which counts for something considering the Bulls rank near the bottom of the league in scoring – but he’s not someone to count on. The Bulls also won’t get the Bobcats’ pick until 2012 at the earliest. Make no mistake: Chicago made this trade because it wanted rid of a headache.
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LUDDEN ANALYSIS: Having apparently tired of the whole one-and-done playoff experience, the Bulls didn’t mind sacrificing a little short-term help for the potential to substantially upgrade their roster this summer. By swapping the $5.8 million Salmons is due next season for a couple of expiring contracts, the Bulls have cleared enough salary-cap room to potentially sign a max-level free agent. Like Dwyane Wade(notes). Or Joe Johnson(notes). Or … whomever. The Bulls have struck out with this plan before – hello, Ron Mercer – but sacrificing another 14 months of Salmons is well worth the risk. The Bucks, meanwhile, are taking the opposite approach. They made this move to get into the playoffs, which will likely earn them a couple more nights of revenue and a four-game sweep by the Cavs. Still, it’s hard to fault a team for trying to win; there’s too little of that in the league these days. Salmons will help. He’s typically a dependable shooter in spite of this season’s inconsistency, and an above-average defender. Milwaukee’s accountants might be questioning the wisdom of this move in November, but give the Bucks credit for trying to make a run now.
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LUDDEN ANALYSIS: The Bucks know Ivey from his previous stay two seasons ago, and he’ll give them depth at point guard. The second-round pick also figures to be among the top 10 picks of the round. The Sixers need a shooter and Meeks qualified as such in college.
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LUDDEN ANALYSIS: The Wizards paid the Kings to take on McGuire because dumping his salary allows them to drop under the luxury-tax threshold. Sacramento will likely never have to give up the pick. One more step in Washington’s housecleaning. Only in the NBA could two players walk into the locker room, brandish guns, go to court, get suspended for the remainder of the season, embarrass both their franchise and the league, then have the team ship off nearly everyone else on the roster but them.
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LUDDEN ANALYSIS: After trying to ship out Richard Jefferson(notes) and exploring trade options for both Antonio McDyess(notes) and Roger Mason(notes), the latter of whom told the San Antonio Express-News he wanted to remain a Spur for the rest of his career, then, four days later, had his agent issue a public trade request, the Spurs settled for a simple salary dump to knock a few dollars off their luxury-tax bill. In the process, Ratliff gets to reunite with his old coach Larry Brown.
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LUDDEN ANALYSIS: The Jazz tried to sell Brewer’s trade as a chance to free minutes for their other wing players. The trade will do that, but it was also made because of money. Sending Brewer, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, to the Grizzlies lowers Utah’s luxury-tax bill. This much is sure: Getting rid of a productive rotation player doesn’t help Utah’s chances of securing the Western Conference’s second playoff seed. Contenders usually try to improve their depth for the stretch run, not thin it. The Jazz did get a first-round pick in return, so it wasn’t a complete loss.
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LUDDEN ANALYSIS: Explain this: The Rockets hit an impasse in talks with New York over their demands for T-Mac, struck a deal with the Kings for Martin then expanded the trade to include the Knicks and then received everything they initially wanted – in addition to Martin. Quite the trade deadline for Rockets GM Daryl Morey. Martin isn’t risk-free. He’s due $36 million over the next three seasons, a lot of money for someone who’s missed at least 20 games in each of the past three seasons. But he’s also a talented, young scorer who can both shoot and get to the foul line frequently. Kings president Geoff Petrie had made it clear to teams calling about Martin that he needed to get a solid, young player in return. He did so with Landry, who ranks as one of the league’s top sixth men.
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LUDDEN ANALYSIS: Hughes will be a buyout candidate in Sacramento. Given the Knicks’ problems at point guard, Rodriguez shouldn’t have trouble finding minutes.
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LUDDEN ANALYSIS: The Knicks wanted enough cap room to max out two of the top free agents this summer, and they’ll pay for it. To take on Jeffries’ 2010-11 salary, the Rockets picked up the Knicks’ first-round choice from last season (Hill), as well as their 2012 first-round pick and the chance to trade first-round picks in 2011. The 2012 choice is protected through only the first five picks, and the 2011 pick will go to the Rockets provided the Knicks don’t win the lottery. So … the Knicks better hope they land LeBron, D-Wade, Bosh or some combination of the elite free agents. The Knicks have been telling their fans for at least two years that better days are ahead after the Summer of 2010. Now, if they don’t get better, they’ve also mortgaged their future. McGrady hopes to use these two months with New York to audition for a new contract. In addition to the players and picks it collected, Houston also dropped below the tax line for this season. The Rockets got better now and for the future, and they did so by using a player for whom they had no use as the centerpiece of the deal.
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LUDDEN ANALYSIS: Robinson’s agent Aaron Goodwin made the investment of the year: Slapped with a $25,000 fine for publicly demanding a trade for Robinson, Goodwin convinced the Knicks to send his client to the Celtics, where he’ll likely receive a $1 million bonus for making the playoffs. No wonder Robinson, who held veto rights over any deal, rebuffed interest from Memphis a month ago: The Grizzlies are contending for a playoff seed, but they’re not a $1 million lock like the Celtics. Boston needs some punch off its bench, and Robinson can provide that. Robinson’s base-year status complicated the trade, but the Knicks essentially did him a favor. Giddens and Walker have yet to prove they're rotation players.
