By Jim James
Draft season is now upon us. As trades become legal in the NBA again for the first time since Early February, fan-made trades on Fanspo now are running rampant. So I decided to make fun of a few people for a blog post. Let’s go.
Criteria for selection:
- Must involve picks
- Must be substantial
- Must be successful
- Must be realistic
#1: Gobert, Collins, and #10 Pick move in 3-team deal
Posted by u/jay_epp
Hawks receive: Rudy Gobert, Ish Smith
Jazz receive: John Collins, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Clint Capela, #10 Pick
Wizards receive: Mike Conley, #16 Pick
Hawks Grade: B
They’re getting a good piece, but are giving up their 1st rounder and two solid Big Men. This wouldn’t get them too different of a record than before this deal, so a B is the grade here.
Jazz Grade: A
A good return on a star who was likely to leave, getting both John Collins and Clint Capela. They also get rid of a faltering star in Mike Conley and even get into the top 10. Wonderful trade for Utah.
Wizards Grade: C-
This is like tanking but done wrong. They’re getting dead cap and trading away useful pieces, and then trading down. Poor for them here.
#2: Ayton finds a home, Charlotte trades up, Brogdon heads for Greener pastures
By u/ProfessionalGM
Pacers receive: Jae Crowder, Dario Saric, DeAndre Ayton (S&T), #15 Pick
Suns receive: Malcolm Brogdon, Oshae Brissett, Myles Turner (S&T), #13 Pick
Hornets receive: #6 Pick
Pacers Grade: B-
They’re getting a star in DeAndre Ayton here, but I’m not convinced it’s worth giving up Brogdon, Turner, and the 6th pick in a good draft class.
Suns Grade: B-
They ARE getting two good pieces, like the last trade, but both are worse than Ayton and getting Brogdon creates a starter problem with one of him, CP3, Devin Booker, or Mikal Bridges having to go to the 4 and the Suns having to play small ball in order to get the most out of their guys.
Hornets Grade: A
Meanwhile, the Hornets have quietly finessed everybody. They have 2 low picks but have somehow traded them for the 6th pick. A steal for them.
#3: The Kings sell the farm for Mitchell and Dejounte
Kings receive: Donovan Mitchell, Dejounte Murray, #20 Pick
Spurs receive: Richaun Holmes, Davion Mitchell, #4 Pick, 2023 Indiana 2nd Rounder
Jazz receive: De’Aaron Fox, #9 Pick
Kings Grade: B+
They gave up quantity, but not necessarily quality. The only two big assets given up were the #4 Pick and De’Aaron Fox. Getting 2 All-Stars for it too, great deal here.
Spurs Grade: D+
This is a trade that says “rebuild” to me. But again, like the Wizards before them, they aren’t even doing it right, trading both of their firsts. It’s like they can’t decide whether they want to win now or rebuild, so they’re doing the negatives of both strategies. A baffling move.
Jazz Grade: B
They are obviously going to rebuild this offseason, so this is a good deal. Maybe they can flip De’Aaron?
That’s all for today, I hope you liked it. I can’t wait for the draft and probably neither can you. I’m Jim James, until next time.