Trade Deadline Report Card

Welcome to the current NBA, where players demand things and teams give in. Unless you're the savage New Orleans Pelicans front office, of course. What an incredible NBA trade deadline it has been. Perfect timing for those of us in China celebrating Chinese New Year. We got to unwrap some incredibly exciting new prospects, especially in the East.

There was so much shakeup the Eastern Conference's big guns got even bigger with the additions of Nikola Mirotic, Marc Gasol, and Tobias Harris. Or literally bigger with Philly adding Boban Marjanovich as well. And in the West the immediate impact wasn't as big but the future looks bright for teams that were seemingly rebuilding like the Dallas Mavericks. Two unicorns anyone?

With the trade deadline, well, dead and gone, we wanted to put our teacher hats to the test and handout midterm grades for the deals that went down over the past week or so.

Nikola Mirotic to the Milwaukee Bucks

Jake: This could be one of the most underrated trades of the entire deadline. Despite the fact that Nikola has been on 3 different teams in his first 4 years in the league, and his injury history (currently out with a right calf strain) - he's an excellent spot up big man (36% 3PT) and much improved rebounder (averaging a career high 8.3 RPG). I think he makes a great 3rd/4th option on Milwaukee's roster behind Giannis, Middleton and/or Bledsoe. He gives them much more depth at the forward spot next to or behind Giannis and is a huge improvement on Ersan Ilysova, despite the Turkish big man's solid back up play this year. Mirotic fits in perfectly with the Buck's fast paced offense (5th fastest in the league), he's used to playing in an up/down style - just look at the Pelican's success last season with him splitting playing time with Julius Randle next to Anthony Davis, New Orlean's had the fastest team pace in the league and upset a worn out Portland in the First Round. Nikola Mirotic's ability to spread the floor, play big and run with a quick offense could be the secret to unlocking a further level of play from the Bucks in the second half of the season - and should be pivotal to advancing past deep teams like Boston and Toronto in the playoffs. I think when we look back at this trade after the season, it could be viewed as the reason Milwaukee got to the Finals.

On a side note can I just add that "disappointing Rookie of the Year" Malcom Brogdon is quietly putting together a 50/40/90 shooting percentage line... (50.4/40.6/94.2) If he's successful, besides being the only player to ever do it within their first 3 seasons, he'll also join a club with 7 current players: Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Mark Price, Reggie Miller, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki and Larry Bird. WHAT?!

Jake's Grade: A

Chad: I love this move by the Bucks and yes, it’s mostly because I was super high on Mirotic when he played for my Bulls. I was on the side of the fence that wanted them to ship out Bobby Portis after he punched Mirotic in the face giving him a concussion. Of course I was also on the side of the fence that wanted them to keep Jordan, Pippen, and Phil together and the same with Rose, Noah, Jimmy, and Thibs. Clearly I don’t get my way. But anyways, I think Mirotic is a great fit for the Bucks as a stretch big who shoots a high percentage for someone his size as well as added rebounding as you said. On a team where your best player doesn’t have a jumper, adding extra shooters can’t hurt. If there’s one skill in basketball that will find you a spot on any team anywhere it’s being able to put the ball in the hole. The real plus here though is again something you’ve already touched on, Mirotic’s mobility. He’s not your classic big man who can’t really get up and down the floor at an efficient rate. Mirotic fits right in with Milwaukee’s desire to get up and down the floor and put Giannis in positions to be successful. That style of play is the key to the team’s success and now they’ve added just one more piece to complete their puzzle. When you’re a running team you obviously need many athletes who can finish in transition but also knock down shooters for all those kickout threes that are inevitable when defenses crash in on The Greek Freak. An added bonus here is that in the half court Mirotic is fairly crafty like a lot of Euro bigs. He’ll be able to create some shots for himself on occasion as well as find the open man slashing to the basket for rim rattling dunks.

Chad’s Grade: A

Marc Gasol to the Memphis Grizzlies

Jake: Marc finally escaped Memphis. I was really happy for the Spanish big man when I heard this, because despite having an excellent career in Grind City, he was stuck on a team destined for the lottery this off season with no real intention to win (prayers up for Mike Conley who's still stuck there). Now in the twilight of his career, but still with a lot to contribute, Gasol gets his chance to play some real winning basketball (and to stop Pau laughing at him). I really like the fit of him playing in Toronto - it's a shame Toronto had to give up Valanciunas because he was having a really nice season (24.8PER this season compared to 19.7 in his career), but Toronto are in win-now mode and obviously see Gasol as a sweet fit in their system. With players like Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green and Pascal Siakam who are all excellent off-ball players, Gasol should have tonnes of chances to throw his on the money passes each night. I respect Toronto for being bold here and making a win-now move, they have a solid core of 8 players now who should make a deadly playoff rotation - barring any major injuries (watch out for Gasol or Ibaka) they should make a deep playoff run and be in the mix to make it to the finals.

Jake's grade: A-

Chad: I’m very intrigued by what could be for this Toronto Raptors squad with the addition of Gasol. I’ll be honest, with him being in Memphis and Memphis being boring as hell to watch or follow I haven’t logged many scouting minutes of the Spanish big man. That said, his fundamental offensive game with point guard like passes and defensive prowess (a former Defensive Player of the Year) will fit in absolutely perfectly with the likes of Kawhi Leonard, Serge Ibaka, Danny Green, and Kyle Lowry. I see this team as the Spurs of the North. If only they had Pop as their coach. I think it would’ve been easy for Toronto to think, “Ok. We’re top three in the East with arguably the best player in the East. We’ll take our chances with the team we have.” So props to their front office for making the move to ship out Valanciunas and see if they could get even a slight upgrade. To me it’s less about who is individually better between the two and more about those intangibles that Gasol brings like his passing that I mentioned before. He’s going to create so many more scoring opportunities for others when the ball goes through his hands. And he has to be honored when he catches the ball on the perimeter which, again, scoring opportunities for others with all that spacing. The Big Burrito (apparently that’s his nickname) is shooting a decent 34.4% from three this year and for his career. This team could be a scary sleeper. Sleeper in the sense of the Spurs were always a “sleeper” in the Duncan era. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Toronto top Boston in the conference semis and fight Philly for a Finals berth.

Chad’s Grade: A

Tobias Harris to the Philadelphia 76ers

Jake: Talk about making the right trade at the right time... The Fultz drama has finally left Philly, Jimmy Butler hasn't complained in nearly three weeks and now the 76ers have added two pieces to their roster that put them immediately into the Finals conversation. Firstly lets talk about the second piece the 76ers added - Boban Marjanovic as well as being a novelty to watch will also give the 76ers a back up for Embiid who can batter opposing big men while Joel takes a rest and eats hot-dogs... or whatever he does. Then we move onto Tobias Harris - who was having an amazing season for the Clippers. Philly just added a nightly 20 point threat, three and D player who is going to benefit them more than I could ever talk about. Harris is the ideal wing on a squad that needed someone to take the defensive load off Jimmy Butler, needed a low maintenance guy so they could concentrate on Jimmy Butler and needed a back-up clutch scorer to take the pressure off... you guessed it, Jimmy Butler (notice a theme here). I think that Philly has relied too much on Jimmy to bail them out since he's arrived, but now they've got the perfect Jimmy Buckets clone to ease the load. They've both got similar games, similar stats and a similar reliability night-to-night, I think Philadelphia is going to find the traditionally hard stretch of the season (Feb to mid-March) a little bit easier with some more options on their roster - which is going to do wonders for their health (you're welcome Jimmy) and eventually their ability to make a deep playoff run. Count me in as a Philly believer for the Eastern Conference Playoff blood bath.

Jake's Grade: A+

Chad: The Tobi and Bobi reality show continues. Before I give my take on Tobias and Philly I just wanted to acknowledge that I was thrilled that this deal kept the NBA’s most intriguing bromance alive and well. I was also just as thrilled about the basketball side of things when I started researching just how efficient Tobias has been this season. The man is shooting 44% from three. That’s five percentage points better than Klay Thompson. And I can already here those Warriors bandwagoners saying, “But Klay has been in a slump.” Fine, Tobias’ 44% is better than all but one of Klay’s seasons in his entire NBA career. *Crickets* And while it’s an insanely small sample size, Harris is shooting over 60% from three in a Philly uniform. This deal to get Harris was exactly what the Sixers needed after not resigning Belinelli last offseason. He brings everything Belinelli brought but he brings it more consistently and in a bigger, more dominant body. Harris to me puts Philadelphia in the driver’s seat in the East. They’ll go as far as they decide to go. If Simmons, Embiid, Jimmy, and Tobias can all coexist in basketball and personality terms this is a team that I’d bet takes Golden State to six or seven games. I’m legit excited to see where this goes. The bigger question for Philly though, can they keep all four this coming free agency. I sure hope so. And while I love Jimmy for the kind things he’s done for me in the past, if the other Sixers can’t handle his intense on-court personality he may be the one piece that moves on. I don’t even like typing that. That’s how much I believe in this squad.

Chad’s Grade: A+

Markelle Fultz to the Orlando Magic

Jake: There really isn't a lot to talk about here. Philadelphia has done the right thing and shed themselves of any ongoing drama outside of Jimmy Butler's theatrics, Orlando made a low-risk high-reward trade and Markelle gets to step out of the spotlight and focus on improving himself. Orlando have made a solid trade here, they aren't really expected to make the playoffs this season and are building for the future, so why not take a flyer on some more young potential? Honestly I really liked Fultz coming out of the draft, the potential he flashed in college at Washington was something to be really excited about. But the weird shoulder issue he had and the way both him and his agent handled it really pissed several people off - including me. The stories changed constantly and there was never any clarity, Markelle seems like a great kid and apparently his work ethic is second to none, which really resonates with me, but there's really nothing more frustrating than a player not just being open - and he gained a lot of criticism and frustration for it, rightfully so. Still, I think he still has the potential to be a great role player, he does the small things on the court you love to see - diving for loose balls, grabbing offensive rebounds and hustling all over the court. But if his shoulder issue (thoracic outlet syndrome) never fully heals and he can't shoot, then I think he's going to struggle to find a role in the NBA.

Jake's Grade: B

Chad: Agreed. There isn’t much to talk about here so I’ll keep it short and sweet. I like this move for Fultz and potentially for the Magic. For Fultz I don’t really think it mattered where he went as long as it was outside of Philly and preferably to a bad team. I mean in Orlando they don’t even film the games do they? So he can glitch at the free throw line like a 2K malfunction and no one will even know. But for real, I wish him success in this new era of his NBA career. Whatever is going on between his ears, I hope he can figure it out and have a long career in this league. It’s gotta be hard to be the number one pick and then have the entire basketball world looking at you like, “What happened?” It’s probably depressing. I’d love to see an Orlando Magic Markelle Fultz smile. That’s it. No three pointers. No pull up jays. Just a consistent smile on the court.

Chad’s Grade: TBD

Oh, I have to give a real grade based on the basketball side of things?

Chad’s Grade: C

Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks

Jake: Count me in for the European Dynamic Duo. Despite the fact that Dallas cleared their shelves a little for this trade, they weren't expected to make much noise or even make the playoffs this year and kudos for them looking to the future. The DeAndre Jordan to Dallas heist that never was and then was and now isn't, is now over (unpick that if you will) and the focus is now on a potentially devastating pair. Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis will become the Nash/Dirk duo that is actually allowed to reach it's full potential. With Luka's ridiculous court vision and ability to play at his own pace while dropping buckets and dimes, and Kristaps' floor spacing, rim running and Dirk-like mid range ability - the Mavericks are set for the future. Just add some additional defenders and shooters around these two and you've got a potential Championship team. Porzingis is recovering from a pretty tough injury (torn ACL) but history shows us that many players recover from torn ACLs and can easily regain their previous form - Kyle Lowry, Jamal Crawford, Zach LaVine, Jabari Parker or Al Jefferson are all examples of players who recovered fully from the injury and went on to have productive careers. If Porzingis is even 80% of the player he was before the injury, Dallas have won the trade. A torn ACL used to mean the end of a career before the turn of the century, but now it's common to see players return in good form - Porzingod is only 23 and as long as he's able to stay patient and overcome the mental limitations of a knee injury, we should see him return to his previous form. I love the potential of the new duo in Dallas, with the situation the Mavs were in, the pieces they got rid of to gain Porzingis and the enthusiasm he's displayed towards re-signing with them - I think they made the right decision.

Jake's Grade: A-

Chad: Will the real DeAndre Jordan heist please stand up? The heist you mentioned never actually happened until this moment. Assuming the Zinger stays healthy, trading the entire roster to pair the Zinger and Doncic would’ve been worth it. This deal got me so hyped! As a fan of Euro hoopers and the unique take they bring to the game, how could this not get the juices flowing. You have the Unicorn and the Baby Unicorn on the same team lighting up defenses, theoretically at least. Both of these guys, but Doncic in particular blend a beautiful mixture of basketball IQ, fundamentals, and flash but it’s rarely forced. They’re two of the smoothest hoopers in the game today. Porzingis seems to me like he’s been around for a long time but he’s only 23 years old. Wrap your head around that. Dallas just traded a liability in close games in DeAndre Jordan and Dennis Smith Jr. who let’s face it will probably be nothing more than a poor man’s John Wall for what could be the future of the NBA, if healthy. Doncic is still a teenager with veteran type skills and the Zinger could have more than a decade left on his career. This literally might be the future superteam and we’re watching it come together before our eyes. Again, it all depends on the Zinger’s health though. So the two takeaways here: 1. Chad loves calling Porzingis, Zinger, and 2. The Zinger needs to stay healthy for this to be a good trade. Assuming he gets back to even 90% though…

Chad’s Grade: A+

Harrison Barnes to the Sacramento Kings

Jake: Before I jump into my opinion on this trade, I have to bring up how terribly I felt when I saw that Harrison Barnes had found he was being traded MID-GAME. I know that NBA players get paid millions and I'm not naive enough to think teams are as loyal to their players as the players are to them (shout out to Mark Cuban and Dirk's bromance), but there really should be a certain respect NBA teams give to their players on game days. It's one thing to know you've been traded but it's a whole different animal to deal with when you're midway through a game - something you prepare for mentally the entire day to get into your competitive zone - then suddenly you're thinking about your home, your family, friends, transport, banking, security, your new team - all the little things involved with uprooting your life and moving elsewhere. I think it's completely wrong of a team to do that to a player and hopefully something that is addressed in the NBA Player Union talks this summer.

So, rant aside - this was a nice trade by the Sacramento Kings who basically shed some unused players to take Barnes' salary from Dallas. But also a nice trade for a Kings team who have no incentive to lose this season, they've added a desperately needed wing to play alongside De'Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield on a team that has massively outperformed expectations this year. I love the idea of Sacramento stealing the 8th seed from King James and the Lakers - if only because of my love for a crazy narrative. I think the Kings have a really underrated competitive squad here and Barnes could swing the needle their way.

Jake's Grade: B+

Chad: That’s a great point you bring up about how brutal the NBA can be when it comes to being on the trading block. It’s hard to have a whole lot of sympathy for the players though because of the absurd amounts of money they’re making but still as a human being if you become connected to the community, team, and organization you’re playing for it would be difficult to move on. Especially when it’s not by choice. And unless you’re an Anthony Davis, trades are rarely by choice. I 100% agree that teams should be more considerate and not let trade news slip to the media until postgame and even better, trade news shouldn’t get out until the teams have spoken directly to the players involved. That just seems like common decency. But the behind the scenes of competitive, professional sports is far from decent. And honestly I would be more than willing to uproot my life from one city to the next for 100 million dollars. Granted I don’t have kids or a wife or anything but still. Let me see eight zeros in my bank account and I’ll move wherever you want me to. Hell I’d move to the moon if someone would just cover the cost of getting there. Man, I’d loveeeee to visit outer space. Can you even imagine?

Ok. Ok. I won’t go down that rabbit hole.

Aside from what you stated about the brutality of the timing of the trade, I like this move for both teams. Harrison Barnes has an absurdly large contract for what he actually is which is a “star” only because he was on a bad team. And even then that “star” averaged less points, rebounds, and assists than the actual star of the Mavs, 19-year-old wonderkid, Luka Doncic. So the Mavs get rid of that contract which is an excellent move with the way free agency works these days and the Kings get a 17 point per game scorer who has championship experience. If the Kings are wanting to make a real push for the playoffs having a veteran like Barnes join their young core of Hield and Fox is going to be so beneficial it’s hardly even quantifiable. That is if Barnes can be rejuvenated and inspired by being around the young, hungry Kings.

I gotta say though, I hope you’re wrong about the Kings stealing the 8-seed from L.A.. The narrative in the short term would be more exciting, but having LeBron in the playoffs means a relatively competitive series for whoever they see in the first round. I’d prefer that over the short lived excitement of the Kings making it and then getting trounced by the Warriors, Thunder, whoever.

Chad’s Grade: B-

The Failure of L.A.

I have major respect for the New Orleans front office here, they didn't panic like they could have, they stayed firm with their outrageous/borderline trolling demands (wasn't it like anywhere from 4-8 first round picks?!) and Anthony Davis is still a Pelican - despite basically the entire state of Louisiana hating him. In the end I think they made the right decision, the Lakers assets (outside of Ingram who still has mega potential) just weren't good enough - adding together a bunch of Lakers players who are C/C+'s doesn't make the entire package an A+. The Pelican's were smart enough to see that waiting until the summer is their best play - they'll be fielding multiple offers from teams around the league which apparently could include Boston adding Jason Tatum into a trade, personally I'd take any package the Celtics put together if it landed me Tatum. Anyway, LeBron is probably extremely pissed right now considering the potential for Anthony Davis to take a leaf from Paul George's book and fall in love with whichever team he winds up in. For the Lakers I think this could mean serious trouble, they'll have to hope that LeBron can whisper enough sweet-nothings into Kawhi, Durant and Kyrie's ears over the All-Star week to convince someone to join him in LA - I'm expecting plenty of Houseofhighlights videos reading into LeBron anytime he speaks to one of those three players and they happen to laugh or smile. I'm fully on board for an All-Star weekend full of "what-ifs". DeMarcus Cousins to LA anyone?

Jake's Grade: F for LA f**ked up.

Chad: Yes, major props to the NOLA front office. They even seemed to almost intentionally take L.A. on this ride knowing full well they would never accept an offer from them. It was as if it was payback for all the tampering (whether real or imagined) that goes on in and around the Lakers. In the long run I think NOLA did themselves a favor by waiting as well because they can field all possible offers at once during the offseason. L.A. will still be able to offer whatever they’re willing to offer but NOLA will also get to see Boston’s best pitch as well as other’s. And if Boston throws in Jayson Tatum there isn’t anything the Lakers can do other than trade LeBron that would be a better trade than that. I also kinda like what L.A. did. Not as much as if they had gotten Davis, but I like that they were like, “Eight first rounders? Screw you.” I’m glad they didn’t sell their basketball soul to get one player. Because while an Anthony Davis/LeBron pairing in theory makes Los Angeles a contender, are they really in the mix for the title if it’s A.D., Bron, and whatever currently unsigned free agents they can pickup to fill the void of literally all their current good players besides the previously mentioned King being packed up and shipped out? I don’t think that’s a championship team. I like the pieces that are currently rocking the purple and gold. Getting rid of all of them to get Davis just doesn’t make sense to me. I think their best option is to trade draft picks, as many of them as needed, to get Davis and hold on to as many young up-and-comers as possible. Or better yet, don't trade anything to get him. Apparently he wants to play for you in 2020 anyways. So in the meantime sign Kawhi, K.D., Klay, or Kyrie this offseason and then create a big three the year after. So all that said, well done on both sides, but L.A. is now facing not even making the playoffs sooo not that well done.

Chad’s Grade: C+

Got a different opinion? We love a good debate. Hit us up in the comments below.