Now that the dust has settled down, let's sort through the rubble to determine which teams came out winners and which were losers in these deals.
Winners
New York Knicks:
Going out: Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Timofey Mozgov, Raymond Felton, Anthony Randolph, Eddy Curry's expiring
Coming In: Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Anthony Carter, Renaldo Blackman, Sheldon Williams, Corey Brewer
After months of speculation, the Knicks finally got their man. They now have a second legitimate super star to pair with Amare Stoudemire that they can attempt to build around to make the team into a contender.
Despite that they appear to have gutted their team, they actually didn't really give up that much. The majority of the money used to match contracts comes from Curry, who will likely never play another game. If they weren't able to trade for Melo and attempted to go after him in free agency then they would be forced to renounce their rights to restricted free agent Wilson Chandler, so they would have lost him either way. Felton is having a career year, but Billups is the kind of savvy veteran they will need in the playoffs. Felton wasn't going to be their PG of the future anyway, as they have their sights set on Chris Paul in 2012. Billups is a better fit until then. Mozgov's 4 points and 3 rebounds per game were easy to let go of and Randolph still hasn't lived up to his potential. Neither player was a key part of Mike D'Antoni's short rotation.
Gallinari is the biggest loss for the Knicks, but he plays the same position as Melo. The Knicks have enough trouble on defense as it is without attempting to play the two of them together, so despite his upside he became expendable because Melo is a clear upgrade. The trade also weakens their depth, which is less of a concern for them since they generally only play 8 guys anyway. The area their lack of depth could come back to haunt them is at PG. Felton was playing over 38 minutes per game, which is a number they can't hope for the older Billups to come close to unless they plan to run him into the ground. That likely means giving more minutes to their weak bench players.
The Knicks currently hold the 6th seed in the East. With only 27 games remaining they have no chance at one of the top seeds in the conference. They should improve enough to easily hold other teams below them, but it will be a challenge to move up. They have a chance at catching Atlanta, despite being 3 games back in the loss column, due to the Hawks having one of the more brutal schedules for the remainder of the season. It's unlikely that they have time to go any higher than that unless Orlando suffers an epic collapse. We also have to assume that Melo and Billups will take some time to mesh with their new teammates. We saw the Miami trio get off to a slow start this season, and James and Wade are better passes and less selfish players than Melo/Stoudemire. It may take them the rest of the season to really gel as a team. What this trade does do is make them a more dangerous first round playoff opponent. They still probably won't get out of the first round, but they are now the team that none of the top Eastern contenders wants to have to face in the first round.
The real winner in this deal is Carmelo Anthony. He gets to go to the team he wants to play for and gets his money too (he agreed to the three year, $65 million extension as part of the trade, something he would not have gotten if he became a free agent).
Denver Nuggets
Going out: Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Anthony Carter, Renaldo Blackman, Sheldon Williams
Coming In: Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Timofey Mozgov, Raymond Felton, 2014 draft pick + cash
Despite being on the opposite end of the trade that provided us with perhaps the deadline's biggest winner, the Nuggets came out of this in fairly good shape. They knew Melo wasn't going to re-sign with them, but also knew that they held all the cards in the negotiations because Melo wanted the extension money just as badly as a move to NY. This forced the Knicks to up their offer to ensure they would get their man rather than risk him taking the money to stay in Denver or allowing another team to swoop in with a better offer.
The Nuggets watched the disasters in Cleveland and Toronto when their stars walked away for nothing and they were determined to not allow that to happen to them. They were never going to get equal value for a player of Melo's caliber, but at least they got some good pieces in return. The deal also saves them a boatload of money, not just from the cash they receive from NY, but also because it puts them under the luxury tax.
New Jersey Nets
Going Out: Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, 2 first round draft picks + cash
Coming In: Deron Williams
What a coup pulled off by the Nets! All season long they had been in and out of the discussions for Carmelo Anthony. That plan didn't work out since Melo gave them no assurances of signing an extension with them, but at least they succeeded in driving up the price for the Knicks. They then turned a deal similar to the one they offered for Melo and used it to acquire Deron Williams, who arguably is a better player. Nothing against Harris, but Williams is a huge upgrade that is capable of carrying the team. He is the kind of star player the Nets were looking for to sell tickets when they move to Brooklyn in two years, something Favors or any of the draft picks they gave up are likely to become soon enough.
The problem with this deal for the Nets is that it comes with enormous risk. Williams can be a free agent in 2012 and is not able to sign an extension until this summer. The Nets made this trade without getting any assurances that Williams will even still be around when they move to Brooklyn. The new CBA (whenever it is eventually agreed upon) is expected to make it more attractive for players to remain with their current teams and may even include an NFL style franchise tag that allows teams to prevent their top player from leaving. So the risk may be less drastic than it currently appears, but the uncertainty of the situation makes it a risk nonetheless. If Williams does bolt after next season then the Nets would be big losers in this trade.
Minnesota Timberwolves:
Going out: Corey Brewer
Coming In: Anthony Randolph, Eddy Curry
The Wolves were included in the Melo deal to make the salary cap numbers work. In exchange for donating their cap space to accommodate Curry's expiring contract, they upgrade their bench by acquiring Randolph. The results so far would tempt many to consider him a bust, but Randolph is still young and has a high ceiling. He's going to a team with low expectations where he should finally be able to earn some playing time. This isn't the first time the Wolves have taken a risk on a hyped prospect that another team had given up on, and so far things have worked out well for them with Michael Beasley. Perhaps Randolph can turn things around and become a star like many once predicted he would. It's a low risk-high reward move.
Atlanta Hawks
Going out: Mike Bibby, Jordan Crawford, Maurice Evans, 2011 1st round draft pick
Coming In: Kirk Hinrich, Hilton Armstrong
If Atlanta is to have any hope of winning in the playoffs then they need to be able to stop speedy penetrating point guards like Rajon Rondo and Derek Rose. That's a role that Mike Bibby hasn't been able to get done for the past several years. So they replace him with a hard nosed defender in Hinrich that can cover either guard position.
The deal is pretty good for the Wizards too, as they will save some money (potentially even more if they buy out Bibby or Evans). They gained a draft pick from the Bulls last year by using their cap space to take on Hinrich's contract and now get to flip him for a promising rookie and another draft pick. Pretty savvy management by their GM.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Going Out: Jeff Green, Nenad Kristic, future 1st round draft pick (from Clippers)
Coming In: Kendrick Perkins, Nate Robinson
The Thunder have been hoarding assets and cap space while building around young players for years and they finally traded in some of their chips. Already one of the top teams in the West, the only thing holding OKC back from being a contender was their lack of toughness. They have plenty of shooters, but no interior presence. Perkins gives them the enforcer they need to defend against the big men in the West. He's exactly the type of player they need to improve a team that had slipped drastically on the defensive end this season after overachieving last year. In a separate trade they also picked up Nazr Mohammed, giving them a capable back-up and insurance policy in case Perkins struggles to stay healthy.
They give up a valuable player in Jeff Green, but one that wasn't really a good fit. Green is capable of playing either forward spot, but often got burned defensively against some of the more dominant power forwards. With Kevin Durant taking up most of the minutes at the other forward spot it forced Green into a role he was never really suited for. The Thunder can now give the starting spot and more minutes to Sergi Ibaka, who along with Perkins will form a formidable defensive front court. While Green may be a more talented player than Perkins, he's not a better fit for this team. Green will also be a restricted free agent this summer and the Thunder were unlikely to be willing to pay him when they have so many other young players due for extensions soon. The risk is that Perkins can also be a free agent, so they could potentially lose him after the season. If so then they gave up quite a bit to get him for only half a season, especially when you consider that any draft pick you have from the Clippers holds value the way that franchise has been lately.
I'm reluctant to put the Celtics in the Losers category for this deal, despite that many Boston fans are calling for the head of GM Danny Ainge after this shocking trade. More on them in a later article, but in short, this deal isn't bad for Boston either. They desperately needed a wing player and Green is better than anyone they expected to be able to get. He will allow them to ease up on the minutes for their aging big three to keep them fresh as we head towards the postseason. Losing Perkins will be hard to cope with, but he's barely played all season and the Celtics are still the top team in the East. When/if Shaq and Jermaine O'Neal can get healthy then they aren't in any worse shape up front then they have been all year. Perhaps even better when you consider that Kristic is an upgrade over rookie Semih Erdin. The Celtics also freed up 3 roster spots in separate trades, so you can't judge them on this trade until we know what veterans they bring in after players get bought out by teams looking to save some money.
Portland Trail Blazers
Going Out: Joel Przybill, Dante Cunningham, Sean Marks, 2 first round picks
Coming In: Gerald Wallace
The Blazers took advantage of the Bobcats need to cut salary and attempt to rebuild by getting a former All-Star while giving up only expiring contracts and some draft picks (one belonging to New Orleans) which aren't likely to be lottery picks. Wallace has declined a bit this year and is still owed $21 million over the next two seasons, but perhaps moving to a team that actually has a chance at the playoffs will revive him for the stretch run. With the rash of injuries the Blazers have suffered and the uncertainty of how much they will get out of Brandon Roy the rest of the way, adding a wing the caliber of Wallace is a big boost for this team.
Losers
Utah Jazz
Going out: Deron Williams
Coming In: Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, 2 first round draft picks + cash
This has panic move written all over it. It made sense for Denver to trade Melo because he was about to leave as a free agent, but Williams can't be a free agent until 2012. Why trade him this year? Coming into the season the Jazz appeared to be contenders. Maybe not championship contenders, but potentially in the top half of the West at least, which would give them a shot. Since then they've blown up the team by introducing a new head coach for the first time since Ronald Regan was president and trading away their best player.
There's nothing wrong with what Utah got in return. Harris is a big downgrade from Williams, but he's still a good player who was an All-Star a couple of years ago. Favors was the #3 overall pick in last years draft and is loaded with potential. His offensive game will take more time to come around, but he adds a defensive presence to a front court that was lacking on that end of the court. He should grow into a good compliment up front to the defensively challenged Al Jefferson and Paul Milsap. Plus they could potentially have three lottery picks (assuming the trade sinks them out of playoff contention). So the future isn't all bad.
The problem is that not only are none of the pieces they got back equal value for Williams, but there seemed to be no pressure for the team to make this deal now. In fact, nobody (including Williams) seemed to know it was coming until the last minute. If they kept Williams for this season they would still likely make the playoffs and would still have the chance to trade him at next year's deadline. You could argue that the Jazz could have gotten an even better deal next year, since the team trading for him could have the opportunity to work out a contract extension as part of the deal. Other teams may have been willing to give up even more if they knew they'd be keeping Williams past 2012.
LA Clippers
Going Out: Baron Davis, 2011 1st round draft pick
Coming In: Mo Williams, Jamario Moon
The Clippers paid a hefty price to rid themselves of Baron Davis. The former All-Star has a long history of injuries and unmotivated play when he's unhappy, so it's not surprising that they wanted to get rid of him. Mo Williams and Moon are decent enough assets to get back in return, even if they aren't long term solutions. However, the harsh pill to swallow for the Clippers is that they were forced to surrender their first round draft pick, which likely will be a high lottery pick.
This move was likely heavily influenced by Clippers owner Donald Sterling. He hasn't been shy this year of his frustration with Davis, as he's been very publicly critical of him. The move also saves the Clippers money in the long term, as Davis has more money and years left on his contract than the two players they got in return. Typical Sterling, doing his best to further de-rail a struggling franchise just as things seemed like they might be turning around.
For Cleveland, they will now have to deal with the headaches caused by Davis, who isn't likely to be happy about being traded to another losing team. Even with his contract he shouldn't impede much on their rebuilding efforts. If they can score a high lottery pick in the draft this year, to go along with their own high pick, it could go a long way in speeding up the recovery process in the wake of Lebron's departure.
LA Lakers
The Lakers make the losers list without even making a trade at the deadline. Actually, that's why they are on the list. They have struggled at times this year and many have questioned their chances at repeating as champions again this year. Everyone from Jerry West to Magic Johnson has publicly stated the Lakers desperately needed to shake things up, but instead they stood pat.
Sometimes the best trade is the ones that you don't make. I don't blame the Lakers for not pulling the trigger on a potential Bynum-Melo swap that was supposedly on the table. While Melo is clearly the better player, it's unclear how well he'd play alongside Kobe. One of the Lakers biggest advantages is their size, which they would have sacrificed in that deal. However, there are other deals they could have explored. Finding someone to take Ron Artest off their hands would have been a good start. If they could have convinced the Bobcats to take him for Gerald Wallace or Stephan Jackson then that would have been a huge help, but those talks fell apart. Even a smaller deal to upgrade their bench, especially at point guard, would have gone a long way towards helping the Lakers back to the Finals.
Houston Rockets
Going Out: Aaron Brooks, Shane Battier, Ish Smith
Coming In: Hasheem Thabeet, DeMarre Carroll, Goran Dragic, 2 first round picks
The deals they made weren't horrible, considering it saved them money and provided them with two decent draft picks. I rated them as Loser not because of what they did, but more of what they didn't do. They had a lot of assets and were willing to deal, they just couldn't find a willing trade partner. They were hoping to lure in a much bigger fish, but couldn't get anyone to bite. I'm surprised that nobody was willing to trade for Yao's expiring deal (mostly covered by insurance money). The Rockets have to feel disappointed that they weren't able to pull of a bigger deal that could help them get into the playoffs.
Other Notable Deals
New Orleans Hornets & Sacramento Kings
Going to Hornets: Carl Landry
Going to Kings: Marcus Thorton
This trade seems like a win-win for both teams. The Hornets are a playoff team that needed to add some depth to their thin frontcourt behind David West and Omeka Okafor. Landry is a gritty player that can rebound and score. He should thrive off the bench. Thorton broke out with a big second half as a rookie last year, but his lapses in defense have kept him out of the rotation for the most part this year. Despite his talent, he was expendable to fit a bigger need.
The Kings are going nowhere this year anyway and Landry was likely to leave after the season. They can take the risk on Thorton's upside. He could prove to be a valuable insurance policy to Tyreke Evans, who is out for the next several weeks with a foot injury. They can give Thorton a test run the rest of the year to see how he fits in and retain him as a restricted free agent relatively cheaply if it works out.
Golden State Warriors & New Jersey Nets
Going to Warriors: Troy Murphy, 2nd round draft pick
Going to Nets: Dan Gadzuric, Brandon Wright
The Nets haven't been able to find a spot for Murphy in their rotation all season, so it's no surprise that he got traded. For the Warriors this is a salary dump move. Murphy will be bought out and free to join a contending team.
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