NBA Trade Deadline Trade Grades: Part 2
Trade Details:
Utah Jazz receive: Kira Lewis, Otto Porter, and a 2024 first-round pick
Toronto Raptors receive: Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji
Trade Grades:
Utah: A
Danny Ainge snags a first-rounder for Kelly Olynyk - (Larry David voice) pretty, pretty good! Yes, this first-rounder will turn out to be the least favorable of the Clippers or Rockets (so probably the Rockets) but Utah is a franchise that has a great track record of acquiring young talent via the draft. Sending Agbaji to Toronto opens up even more playing time for Keyonte George and Kris Dunn. Great trade for Utah.
Toronto: D
Kelly Olynyk is a very nice addition to any contending team - but Toronto isn’t a contender! Even worse, Toronto sent AWAY a first-rounder when they just started a rebuild. It just doesn’t make sense to me. The only reason why this grade isn’t lower for Toronto is because Olynyk is that important to any team given his ability to stretch the floor, rebound, and tall frame.
Trade Details:
Dallas Mavericks receive: PJ Washington and two second-round picks
Charlotte Hornets receive: Grant Williams, Seth Curry, and a 2027 first-round pick
Trade Grades:
Dallas: C
Well it seems like Dallas couldn’t get Kyle Kuzma, so the Mavericks therefore acquired PJ Washington. While this helps Dallas slightly by adding another shot creator, the Mavs sent a lot to Charlotte for a DECENT player. This trade proves the Grant Williams experiment failed and on top of giving away Williams, who was an important piece for the title-contending Celtics for years, Dallas sent a first-round pick too. So yeah, not too big of a fan of this deal for Dallas.
Charlotte: A
Snagging a 2027 first-rounder from Dallas is a big get. Who knows what Dallas will look like in 3 years? Will Luka even still be a member of the Mavericks franchise? Grant Williams is a good addition for a team in dire need of perimeter defensive talent AND Seth Curry returns to his hometown.
Trade Details:
Toronto Raptors receive: Spencer Dinwiddie
Brooklyn Nets receive: Dennis Schroder and Thaddeus Young
Trade Grades:
Toronto: C
Brooklyn: C
This trade doesn’t move the needle for either team, who both find themselves in the same position - trying to make the play-in tournament. Toronto freed some cap space in this deal, but many active teams were trying to trade for Schroder. Is this really the best Ujiri could do? He couldn’t get a second-rounder at minimum? Just an overall bland and pointless trade.
Trade Details:
Washington Wizards receive: Richaun Holmes and a 2024 first round pick
Dallas Mavericks receive: Daniel Gafford
Trade Grades:
Washington: A
Getting a first-round pick for Daniel Gafford makes this an incredible deal for Washington. While Gafford is young (25), he wasn’t a future part of Washington’s future core. Retaining a first-round pick (the higher of either OKC or the Clippers) is an asset that new general manager Will Dawkins can strategically use in the future. Richaun Holmes was included for salary purposes.
Dallas: B+
A big man committee of Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford is really promising for Dallas as both Lively and Gafford are 7 feet, can rim-run effectively, and protect the rim. I’m sure Lively will remain the starter, but Gafford (who has started 163 games out of 292 in his career) is more than capable of filling in for Lively when injured. This trade solidifies the Mavericks frontcourt not only for this year but future years as well.