Breaking Down Deadline Trades

The trade deadline has finally passed and not without several big moves, though none at the level of the Gasol-Shaq-Kidd blockbusters. Here's a rundown of the deals that went down in the last two days, going from the most important to the least.

Cleveland acquires Ben Wallace and Wally Szczerbiak

In a three team, eleven player deal, the Cavaliers added Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, Joe Smith, Delonte West, and the Bulls 2009 2nd round pick, while giving up Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, Donyell Marshall, Ira Newble, Cedric Simmons, and Shannon Brown. Gooden, Hughes, Simmons, and Brown went to Chicago, while Seattle got Marshall, Newble, and Adrian Griffin.

This is a major shake-up for the Cavaliers and has to be considered a win for GM Danny Ferry, though not an overwhelming one. Ironically, the biggest names in this deal are the least important. Wallace should still be an effective defender and shot-blocker, but it's hard to see him do much more than replace Gooden's production on the boards, while being far less effective on offense. However, his contract is terrible and this would be an awful acquisition without the unloading of Hughes' contract. Szczerbiak has put up solid numbers this year and should be a great fit alongside LeBron James, who should find him for plenty of open threes. Smith and West were nice pickups as well. Smith will provide a little low-post scoring and is a definite upgrade over Marshall, while West will knock down some threes and can play the 1 or the 2, giving the Cavs another shooter and more depth.

There are obvious downsides to this trade, the main one being that the Cavs gave up a ton of expiring contracts and had to take on 33 year old Wallace, who is having his worst season since 1999-2000 when he played for Orlando. Still, it's hard to fault Ferry when the only quality player he surrendered was Gooden. Hughes had played better of late, but it was clear that he was never going to live up to his contract in Cleveland, if at all. Wallace should also benefit from playing alongside LeBron, who should be able to feed him for some easy dunks and alley-oops.

The Cavs starting lineup should now include LeBron, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Daniel Gibson (or possibly West), Szczerbiak, and Wallace. That gives LeBron a low-post scorer, a shot-blocker, and two guards who can light it up from the outside. Swapping Gooden for Wallace also gives the Cavs the option of playing a more up-tempo style when Ilgauskas hits the bench. An effective small lineup could include Gibson, West, Szczerbiak, LeBron, and Wallace, or LeBron and Ilgauskas could play the 4 and 5, spacing the floor with shooters. This move should significantly improve the Cavs and vault them into the Eastern Conference's elite.

For the Bulls, this was simply a way to unload Wallace's contract and create more minutes for Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah. It will be interesting to see how much playing time Hughes and Gooden get, but it's hard to see them getting much action (Hughes in particular). Meanwhile the Sonics get expiring deals in Newble and Griffin, while saving a little money by dumping Szczerbiak. All in all this deal should improve the Cavs' chances in the playoffs significantly, while sparing the Bulls and Sonics of two bad contracts.

San Antonio acquires Kurt Thomas

Yesterday, shortly after the Jason Kidd trade went through, the Spurs sent Brent Barry, Francisco Elson, and a 2009 first round pick to Seattle for Kurt Thomas

This is a great move for the Spurs who dump the disappointing Elson and the expendable Barry, while getting Thomas, who should be a superb fit in San Antonio. Thomas is still a great post defender and his ability to knock down mid-range jumpers should play very well alongside Tim Duncan. While this does not make the Spurs any younger, they needed to make a move after the Gasol and Shaq trades to bolster their interior defense.

There has been talk (namely from Phil Jackson) that the Sonics did the Spurs a favor, considering their GM and coach are former Spurs' personnel, but ultimately the Sonics gain a late 1st round pick and lose a player whose main value (for a losing team) lay in his expiring contract. In Barry and Elson the Sonics get two players whose deals also expire at the end of the year, so as far as their long term prospects are concerned, they get a late first round pick for nothing. Hard to argue with that.

New Orleans acquires Bonzi Wells

The Hornets traded Bobby Jackson and Adam Haluska to the Rockets for Bonzi Wells and Mike James, while the Grizzlies acquire the rights to Marcus Vinicius, two other international prospects, and cash considerations.

This trade should help the Hornets by giving them some much-needed depth. Wells should be a far better fit in New Orleans than he was in Houston, where his poor shooting made him expendable. While Wells might be a lost cause, he can still rebound and provide a little inside scoring, plus he often seems to benefit from a change of scenery. James has struggled this season, but he might still be able to provide some offense off the bench, and he probably isn't a major downgrade from Jackson.

It's hard to see how this deal helps the Rockets, other than dumping the frustrating Wells. Bobby Jackson is a better shooter than James and should benefit from the open looks generated by Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, but other than that nothing is really gained, save a slightly higher second round draft pick (the Rockets will take the higher of the two teams' second round picks). This looks to be an attempt at addition by subtraction, as the departure of Wells will likely have a bigger impact than Jackson's arrival.

Houston acquires Gerald Green

The Rockets sent Kirk Snyder, a 2010 2nd round pick, and cash considerations to Minnesota for Gerald Green.

Both contracts expire at the end of the year, so the only real benefit for Minnesota is the 2nd round pick. As for the Rockets, they gain a 22 year old who is an explosive athlete and a capable three-point shooter. While he has a long way to go, he is still an intriguing prospect who was struggling to find playing time in Minnesota, especially with the return of Randy Foye. Unfortunately for Green, it's hard to see him having an extended stay in Houston. One has to think he'll get a few minutes, otherwise why make the trade at all, but playing time will be hard to come by.

Toronto acquires Primoz Brezec

The Raptors traded Juan Dixon to Detroit for Primoz Brezec.

Both players have expiring deals and probably won't see the floor often. The Raptors were a bit thin up front and Brezec at least gives them a measure of security should one of their big men go down. It's unlikely Dixon will get much playing time in Detroit, but he is shooting 43.6% from downtown, so he could see a few minutes here and there to spread the floor.

And finally, the most meaningless trade of the day...

Portland acquires Von Wafer

Yes, Von Wafer will be heading to Portland as the Blazers send Taurean Green to Denver.

The Nuggets did need another point guard, but I'm not sure Green was the one. He has only played in 8 games and registered 44 minutes this year, though maybe he'll spell Anthony Carter and Allen Iverson for a few minutes a game in Denver. Green is only a rookie and maybe there's some potential, but one has to wonder whether he'd be in the league at all had he not shared the court with Al Horford, Joakim Noah, and Corey Brewer in Florida. Meanwhile, Wafer heads to the bench in Portland. He is only 22 and has performed well in the D-League, but it's unlikely the Portland re-signs him at the end of the year. One has to ask why this trade took place at all except as an excuse for Denver and Portland to get in on the trade deadline fun.