Bosh, McGrady, Granger Highlight Players Moved in Trading PeriodSeptember 1, 2009 - Several trades were made this NBA off-season. Some of them were blockbusters, but other were small deals. All-Stars
Chris Bosh,
Tracy McGrady and
Danny Granger found new homes, along with many other talents, including 2007 #1 pick
Greg Oden. Here, we will recap and analyze them all.
Marcus Williams to Dallas; 2010 first-rounder (DAL) to Golden State - This minor trade, Washburn's second as Warriors general manager, sent deadweight point guard
Marcus Williams to Dallas for their 2010 first-rounder. The Warriors, who acquired
Steve Nash and
Ricky Rubio this offseason, are set at the PG position. With
Monta Ellis also able to slide to the 1, the Warriors had no need for Williams, and they still managed to get some value for him, acquiring a pick likely in the mid-first round, but perhaps the lottery. Meanwhile, the Warriors get a decent potential successor to
Jason Kidd in Williams.
Warriors Trade Grade: A;
Mavericks Trade Grade: B+Kirk Hinrich to Sacramento; Francisco Garcia and Bobby Jackson to Chicago - The Kings come ever closer to contention with this move. They trade two unhappy bench players for a veteran point guard with playoff experience. It allows
Tyreke Evans to come off the bench in his rookie year (and play both positions) and further improves there starting lineup. Hinrich - Martin - Nocioni - Boozer - Hawes; not bad, eh? The Bulls unload an unhappy Hinrich and his big contract. It also makes
Derrick Rose officially their point guard of the future. They also improve their bench.
Kings Trade Grade: A-;
Bulls Trade Grade: BChris Bosh, Reggie Evans and Wally Szczerbiak to Houston; Tracy McGrady, Luis Scola and 2010 First-Rounder (HOU) to Toronto - After making it to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1997 without their highest-paid player
Tracy McGrady, it became clear that T-Mac was on his way out. However, losing
Ron Artest to free agency made them think it over, since they needed a scoring punch.
Chris Bosh is a superstar unhappy to be on a subpar team. He has already alluded to the fact that he would be leaving in the 2010 offseason, and the Raptors figured they would try to get something for him. And so, in a rare epic blockbuster, the Raptors shipped Bosh, and bench players
Reggie Evans and
Wally Szczerbiak to Houston in return for
Tracy McGrady,
Luis Scola and a first-rounder.
This trade brings McGrady back to the Raptors, vastly improving their 2 guard position, and Scola, another international player to team with Bargnani in the frontcourt. With a starting lineup of Calderon - McGrady - Ariza - Scola - Bargnani, the Raptors could find themselves back in the playoffs sooner than we think. Meanwhile,
Yao Ming and
Chris Bosh form a potentially dominant twin towers. However, with a starting backcourt of
Aaron Brooks and
Wally Szczerbiak, they might be in trouble. However, even if they fail to go deep in the playoffs, Bosh is a Texas native and Houston is a large market, so he will likely resign at the end of the season.
Raptors Trade Grade: B+;
Rockets Trade Grade: A-Danny Granger to Portland; Greg Oden, Nicolas Batum and Martell Webster to Indiana -
Greg Oden was spewing trade demands all Summer, and Kevin Pritchard finally gave in. However, in giving in, he possibly made the best move as the Blazers general manager. He sent Oden, along with prospect swingmen
Nicolas Batum and
Martell Webster to Indiana for all-star small forward
Danny Granger. This trade explains the
Charlie Villanueva signing, as it will move LaMarcus Aldridge to the center position. It is a high risk move, considering that Portland came within one game of eliminating the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers, but Granger is a huge upgrade, and should make them title favorites should their chemistry work cohesively.
The Pacers, meanwhile, come off a mediocre season where they were dispatched in the first round. They didn't have their mind set on dealing their franchise player this summer, but the package of young players Portland offered was just too much to pass up. This trade could be a huge mistake and set the mediocre Pacers back into the lottery, but Oden could very well become a better player than Granger, while Webster and Batum also have star potential. This trade reboots the Pacers, while it improves and unclogs the Blazers' rotation.
Blazers Trade Grade: A-;
Pacers Trade Grade: BSteve Blake to Houston; Chuck Hayes and Carl Landry to Portland - Both the Rockets and Blazers were coming off blockbuster trades, and had imbalances in their roster. Portland had too many point guards, and not enough big men, while Houston had a stacked frontcourt and a weak backcourt. Portland trades backup point guard
Steve Blake to the Rockets for big men
Carl Landry and
Chuck Hayes. The Blazers get some decent big men up front, and can give all their guards enough playing time. Meanwhile, Houston gets rid of their unhappy reserves, and gains a solid veteran point guard.
Blazers Trade Grade: A;
Rockets Trade Grade: B-