With another NBA season in the books, and the Draft having just concluded, teams are now turning to free agency to upgrade their rosters. While most free agency rumors and signing will garner a majority of the attention, trades are another very impact part of the period. A majority of these trades will be relatively small, and involve the dumping of salaries. However, there will be a few trades involving big name players. Some of these will be sign and trades, which consist of a player signing a contract with his new team. These kinds of trades are very common among restricted free agents. While it s still early in the off-season, there have been some very interesting trades.
In the first major trade of the off-season the New York Knicks traded center Tyson Chandler and point guard Raymond Felton to the Dallas Mavericks for point guards Jose Calderon, Shane Larkin, shooting guard Wayne Ellington, and center Samuel Dalembert, and two second round draft picks. This seemed like a great move for both teams as it allowed the Mavericks to make an immediate improvement at center and gave the Knicks some younger assets to work with while dumping some salary. The Knicks were able to dump the oft injured Chandler's salary of $14.6 for next year, while saving nearly $4 million in this years salary cap. The Knicks were also able to get rid of Raymond Felton, a player who has gained more attention due to his off court issues rather than his on court production. In return, the Knicks secured a veteran point guard in Calderon and an extremely athletic point guard, filled with potential in Larkin. Larkin was a lottery pick in last years draft but missed a majority of the season due t a broken ankle. Ellington is a 26 year old shooting guard who should provide an immediate impact. Ellington has played as a reserve for most of his career and excels as a three point shooter and has shot 42 percent from behind the arc the last two years. Finally, Dalembert is a veteran center who can contribute as a low end starter or high level reserve.
The Mavis seemed to give up a lot of potential future assets for an aging center and troubled point guard. However, Chandler fills the teams biggest need, as the Mavs have struggled to find a center to play alongside Dirk Nowitzki. The Mavs were also one of the worst teams defensively, so bringing in a defensive oriented center is a great addition. Another thing to consider is that Chandler was a key piece of the Finals winning team in 2011 with Dallas.
On Monday, June 30th, the Toronto Raptors traded small forward John Salmons and a second round pick to the Atlanta Hawks for point guard Louis Williams and center Lucas Nogueira. While it may seem that this is an obvious win for the Raptors, its important to note that the Hawks achieved exactly what they wanted. This was essentially a salary dump for the Hawks, who will be able to waive Salmons and his contract. They also were able to get rid of Lou Williams, a talented but ineffective guard.
The Raptors really gained a lot through this trade. At the time, the move to acquire Williams made a lot of sense as insurance in case Kyle Lowry left via free agency. But now with Lowry back in Toronto, Williams should excel coming off the bench. Throughout his career he has averaged 11 points per game in 22 minutes of action. The Raptors also acquired Nogueira, a young but talented center from Brazil. While he has yet to play in the NBA, Nogueira offers some long term potential at the center position.
The final, and most bizarre trade that has occurred this off-season was the trading of Brooklyn Nets head coach Jason Kidd to the Milwaukee Bucks for a second round pick in 2015 and 2019. Kidd reported was seeking a larger role in Brooklyn, one which allowed him more control over roster and personal moves. The Nets were unwilling to give Kidd these powers, and then allowed him to speak with the Bucks. A deal was soon finalized, but Kidd was named just the head coach, and it does not appear he will have any larger role at this time. All of this happened while Larry Drew was still the head coach of the Bucks. He was fired shortly after the news broke. For the Bucks, they acquired a young, up and coming coach in Kidd, although his restlessness and lack of loyalty might raise some concerns. The Nets, received two second round draft picks, including a 2015 pick which originally belonged to them. They also signed Lionel Hollins as their head coach, a potential upgrade from Kidd. It seems that both teams got what they wanted, however, Kidd is still a head coach, just for a much worse team.
While these first few trades haven't been glamorous and franchise changing, they do play an impact for all these teams. And with the off-season just starting there is certain to be bigger, and more exciting trades ahead.