The 2016 NBA Trade Deadline has come and gone without any ‘stars’ changing zip codes. After weeks of speculation around players like Dwight Howard, Al Horford, Greg Monroe and Jeff Teague, most teams decided to stand pat at the deadline and keep the status quo. With 1st Round Draft picks becoming more and more valuable to teams along with the unwillingness to take on another team’s bad contracts, we can likely expect more trade deadlines to come and go without a ton of action. CBS Sports has a deal tracker you can check out if you want to know all of the specifics regarding each deal, but we will break down the larger deals that were agreed to and how it affects both teams moving forward.
Detroit acquires Tobias Harris from Orlando for Brandon Jennings & Ersan Ilyasova
Detroit Grade: A
Orlando Grade: C+
Harris had been unhappy with his role in Orlando for most of the season. After signing him to a long term deal this offseason, he expected to be a larger part of the Magic offense but had often times been the third or fourth option for Scott Skiles. A change of scenery will do the versatile forward some good and if the play of Marcus Morris is any indication, a player of his skill set will do well in that system. Harris’ father told me that Harris is "excited" about the prospect of playing for a team that is heading for the playoffs and that he is hoping that this situation proves to be a "better fit". Stan Van Gundy now has a plethora of versatile wings as his disposal as Harris joins the aforementioned Morris, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and rookie Stanley Johnson. I would expect the Pistons to go small for the rest of the season and to be extremely tough defensively with this group.
As for Orlando, the trade was more about them moving a player who they just didn’t see as a long term fit, which is odd considering they just signed him this past summer. The salaries for this season are almost equal so this is more about cap space for the Magic as they rid themselves of the remaining $48M owed to Harris while also giving them two players that will keep them in the playoff hunt. The Magic were rumored to be in the market for a PG and a PF and were rumored to have inquired about the availability of Jeff Teague and Al Horford with the Hawks. The asking price for those two was too rich for the Magic blood and so the team went in another direction. I’m not sure how Jennings fits alongside Payton and Oladipo as all three are guards who command the ball. Jennings is a better shooter than the other two and will help stretch the floor, but that’s about it in terms of an upgrade. I’ve always been a big Ilyasova fan and he will provide some depth at that spot, but the Magic are determined to give Slam Dunk Runner Up Aaron Gordon more playing time as well as Evan Fournier. The Magic think that the additional cap space can help them land a key free agent this summer. I have my doubts, but only time will tell.
Charlotte acquires Courtney Lee from Memphis for P.J. Hairston & Chris Andersen
Charlotte Grade: A+
Memphis Grade: D
There were a few other moving parts with this deal, but Lee, Andersen and Hairston were the main pieces changing hands. For the Hornets, this was a move that they had to make if they wanted to contend for an Eastern Conference playoff spot. With Michael Kidd-Gilchrist’s future up in the air with his shoulder injury, Lee gives the team a solid wing player to pair with Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum. The team currently sits in the 8th spot in the East and adding a player of Lee’s caliber will undoubtedly make this team better as they continue to make their playoff push. Hairston was a guy not getting much time so he was expendable. Adding a two way player like Lee for Hairston is a home run type of deal and one that Hornets’ fans will come to love as they get a closer look at Lee.
Before Grizzlies’ fans get all "How can you give us a D?" let me just say that I understand why the team moved Lee, but I don’t like the return they got for him. He’s an expiring contract on a team that, without Marc Gasol, likely won’t make any real noise in the playoffs. But the team is 31-22 and in the 5th spot in the West. By moving Lee and then subsequently moving Jeff Green in a deal just a few hours ago, it is as if the team is waiving a white flag and didn’t get a whole lot in return. Granted both players are free agents next year and the team likely wasn’t going to be able to keep both of them, but I question the value of what they got back for both players, especially Lee. Hairston is a guy with huge question marks surrounding him and Andersen is just a filler for the rest of the season. No picks and no real assets moving forward. I can get behind the reasoning why, just not when you assess what they got in return.
Detroit acquires Donatas Motiejunas & Marcus Thornton from Houston for Joel Anthony & 2016 1st Round Pick (Top 8 Protected)
Detroit Grade: B
Houston Grade: B+
I actually like this deal for both teams, all things considered. The Pistons continued to be active at the deadline by bringing in more depth from the Rockets in exchange for their first rounder this season. The pick itself likely won’t be very high since the Pistons are all but assured to make the playoffs after these two deals and with just 4.5 games separating them from 3rd place in the East, the pick will likely be in the early 20’s. I’ll take that swap for a proven scorer like Thornton and a young big man in Motiejunas. Both guys are free agents after the season but I could see Motiejunas getting an extension as he’s got some value for his age and skill set. He just never really could crack the rotation in Houston, but when he did, he played well. With the Pistons having traded Jennings in their previous deal and with Jodie Meeks looking more and more like he is going to miss the rest of the season with a foot injury, the Pistons could use some scoring punch off the bench. Thornton can provide just that. This is just another move by SVG that signals this team is ready to win and win now.
For the Rockets, they get a first rounder for two guys not really in their rotation or long term plans. They are a fringe playoff team that will have a lot of questions heading into this offseason as Dwight Howard is rumored to being opting out of his deal and with the team taking a turn for the worse this season less than a year removed from being in the Western Conference Finals. James Harden isn’t going anywhere so trying to add assets and young pieces around him while adding a key free agent or two is the way to go. This additional first this season allows them to do that. Or it could be packaged with their own pick if they fail to make the playoffs and don’t have to give it to the Nuggets. This move doesn’t really make the Rockets any worse off in the near future and can only make them better long term, thus the reason for the better grade.
Cleveland acquires Channing Frye from Orlando for Jared Cunningham while sending Anderson Varejeo and Cleveland’s 2018 1st Round pick to the Blazers.
Cleveland Grade: A
Orlando Grade: C-
Portland Grade: A+
The Cavs should be thanking the Blazers for helping to facilitate this deal. This makes two years in a row that a team has decided to help King James’ cause at the deadline. Last year it was the Knicks and this year the Blazers. Varejeo wasn’t part of the rotation in Cleveland and as always, the team was looking to add more shooting to play alongside James. Frye is a guy who can stretch the floor and is a poor man’s Ryan Anderson, who the team really coveted at the deadline. I’m not sure where he fits with Thompson, Love and Mozgov but he can shoot the rock and even if he only logs a few minutes here and there, the team will benefit from his presence on the floor as he will be able to stretch defenses. A team like the Cavs doesn’t care as much about first round picks as they are almost always going to be very late in the first round, so giving up that pick for a guy who can help the team get closer to a Championship is a small price to pay.
Orlando created more space in the frontcourt for Aaron Gordon to get minutes, which is a good thing, but much like what the Grizzlies got for Lee, I have to wonder if the Magic could have gotten more than a 2nd round pick and a guy who won’t crack their rotation. I don’t know exactly what the value was for Frye, but with so many teams inquiring about him over the last week, I would have thought it would be a lot higher than that. I guess the teams gets even more cap space as they look towards this summer’s free agency period, but is Orlando really a free agent destination?
The Blazers basically took on Varejao’s salary and were rewarded with a first round pick. The rumor is that he will be bought out and then can sign with any team he wants, so the Blazers really just paid $4.5M (Varejao’s buyout) for a 1st round pick. And as was reported earlier in the day, it gets them closer to the salary floor. Not a bad deal if I say so myself.
Oklahoma City acquires Randy Foye from the Denver for D.J. Augustin, Steve Novak & two 2nd Round Picks
Oklahoma City Grade: B-
Denver Grade: B
This was one of the more under the radar moves that could pay off for the Thunder. I’m not sold on a second unit that features both Foye and Waiters in the backcourt as both players are score first type of guys that I don’t think will mesh well, but I could be wrong. The Thunder is the only team that I truly believe can challenge Golden State in a 7 game series (sorry San Antonio). To do so, the OKC will need to be able to hang with the Warriors if they get into a shootout. And as good as Durant and Westbrook are, when they go to the bench, their offense sputters. So in that regard the intentiuon here was good. Foye should be able to help out in that area and make it less of an issue when those two aren’t on the floor. Novak has barely seen minutes for them and Foye is an upgrade over Augustin at this point. The second rounders mean very little to the Thunder so this is a solid move overall.
Denver is going nowhere fast this season. This move basically netted them two second round picks and little else. Augustin and Novak are free agents after the season so there are no long term salary implications. Maybe they lose another game or two without Foye which would help them out with ping pong balls, but all in all, getting something for nothing is a net positive for any team. They add a few assets for an expiring contract. Simple as that.
Washington acquires Markieff Morris from Phoenix for a 1st Round Pick (Reportedly Top 9 Protected)
Washington Grade: C+
Phoenix Grade: A
I was hoping a deal involving Morris would get done at some point today. The Suns and Morris needed to part ways. It had been a long time coming. The Wizards were happy to bring him away from the desert as they need help in the frontcourt and with the way Morris has been playing of late, he’ll likely come in and start from day one. My only qualm with this deal is the fact that the Wizards gave up a first round pick that, if they don’t make the playoffs, could go to Phoenix since the pick is only somewhat lottery protected. Morris will make this team better, but will he make them playoffs better? I’d say yes, but that’s not guarantee and if they barely miss out on that 8th spot then they might dread giving that pick up. But as the old saying goes, "If you want big rewards, you gotta take big risks." That’s what the Wizards did here and I believe that it will pay off for them in the end as Morris will have a massive sized chip on his shoulder and something to prove as he heads to the Nation’s Capitol. Oh, and they’ll still have enough cap space to make a max offer to Kevin Durant this summer.
The Suns cleared cap space, moved a disgruntled player and got a first round draft pick. What’s not to love about this deal from their perspective? They add some players in the deal (Blair and Humphries), but both will likely be gone after the season so they are just filler. I wasn’t sure that any team would give up a first for Morris unless it was really late due to all of his baggage, but the Suns found a taker and the team/locker room will be better for it moving forward. I don’t know where the team goes from here as they have a mix between young talented players and high priced veterans, but moving Morris was a must and for that, they get an A.
Los Angeles Clippers acquires Jeff Green from Memphis for Lance Stephenson & a future 1st Round Pick (Protected)
Los Angeles Clippers Grade: A
Memphis Grade: B
If my grade didn’t say it enough, I love this trade for the Clippers. Stephenson has been a bust since being acquired by Doc Rivers and to be able to ship him out and bring in a player of Green’s caliber is a huge win for this team. I never understood the whole "trade Griffin" chatter since this team is going to get a home playoff series in the Western Conference and really just needed to add a piece at the deadline as opposed to blow it all up. Green is a versatile guy who provides a lot on both ends of the floor. He’s on an expiring deal so the team won’t have any long term salary issues to deal with if it, for some reason, doesn’t work. This is the second time that Rivers has traded for Green as he acquired the forward from OKC just a few years back when Rivers was in Boston. He knows Doc’s system and is a good locker room guy, so this seems like a match made in heaven for a team in desperate need of help on the wing.
I wasn’t nice to the Grizzlies for the Lee deal and I’m not in love with this one, but they at least get a future first out of the Celtics. The team is likely going to decline Stephenson’s option for next season so the team keeps its cap space heading into the summer when they will have a decision to make on Mike Conley. This is the type of deal that I expected for Lee and would have hoped for something similar, if not a little more, for Green. Memphis clearly is mailing in the rest of this season, even if I don’t agree with it, and adding future firsts is always a good thing for an organization that needs to draft well to remain in contention due to their status as a "small market" team.
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