Part 3: Timberwolves, Kings, Mavericks, Spurs, Clippers
Part 4: Hornets, Suns, Pistons, Warriors, Heat, Grizzlies, Bulls
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CHARLOTTE HORNETS: A
The Hornets trade deadline felt incomplete. It was obvious that there was one big hole that they needed to fill up before the others, the center spot. Harrell gives the Hornets a boost on offense, giving them a better finishing threat than Plumlee, who lacks the strength to draw 2 defenders inside the paint, and especially Washington, who is literally a small forward just slotted to the center spot just because he's the next tallest in the rotation. But rim protection is still a problem. Plumlee is decent but shouldn’t have a heavy defensive load and Washington is a negative on D, so in theory, one of Harrell or Plumlee is not going to be a long-term piece on this team. They could get Claxton or Robinson via free agency in the next offseason via the MLE or start giving Kai Jones some minutes, which could end up better than overpaying for Turner or Poeltl this trade deadline just to go out in the first round or play-in. This was a very patient move by Charlotte which could end up being worth the wait.
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PHOENIX SUNS: A
Bringing back Torrey would add lockdown defense, shooting and great energy from the Suns bench. His impact on both ends on the floor was definitely noticeable on their playoff run last year and that he was probably the best fit and most proven 3&D bench spark plug they could realistically get for cheap (Jazz fans crying in jealousy).
Aaron Holiday, who they acquired for cash, is a very good 3rd string point guard. He could pass and defend but is inconsistent with his outside shot and is too small to switch onto bigger players. They could make his outside shot work which is what they could be trying to fix in order to insert him into the rotation and be a long-term piece although it won't be a lot of minutes too since the Suns have two more small guards in their rotation in Chris Paul and Cam Payne in which could be taken advantage of by bigger lineups defensively if he'd play together with one or both. He'll be a good depth piece nonetheless.
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DETROIT PISTONS: A
Patience will be rewarded. We saw this in Ben Simmons and we’ll see it again in Jerami Grant. The Pistons do not need to trade Jerami Grant right now, especially when considering the following:
Grant wants to be in Detroit and is happy with his role on the team and the relationship with the front office. He’ll re-sign as long as the Pistons can give him the bag in which they absolutely can, meaning that his expiring contract next season will not lower his value drastically.
Teams could be more comfortable making a larger swing in the offseason, therefore more teams will offer and offers will get bigger.
Grant could fill a role they’ll need whenever they contend, which is not very far from now.
Grant’s main selling point is not decreasing in value. His shot creation capabilities may at worst slightly regress in the period of time that they hold onto him but that is not the biggest reason why teams are calling for him. Teams mainly need him for his defensive services and to be at least a threat to score from cuts and rolls. In the worst case scenario, doing bad as the main shot creator will only improve his efficiency on other teams as there will be less attention on him.
Granted, (no pun intended) he could be less pleased with his role on other teams which is why not a lot of teams are comfortable with trading for him now, but a team that is desperately searching for a talent like him (e.g. Portland, Sacramento) could also be forced due to the lack of high-tier options.
There is no reason for the Pistons to turn down a deal for Grant that includes a promising young defensive specialist combo forward in return as that player could reach a higher ceiling than Grant that could be reached at the time of Cade's prime but there is also a very limited amount of players of that archetype with also a high floor that they could get in return. I don’t believe the Bulls are offering Patrick Williams, as they should, so I’d assume the highest offer they got was from Portland that headlines the New Orleans 2022 first-round pick and the trade exception that will come along with it as it was hinted at from the rumors. Aside from the previous reason mentioned, they should also accept it for the reason that they are not taking salary back, creating more of that huge cap space they already have built up, which only gives them more options in free agency. The chances of that deal happening all depends on where the Pelicans pick lands. If it’s too low and that there is nobody else offering better, they could just keep him and they should still be fine as he still fills a role in the team that could be critical in the future, whether it is becoming Cade's sidekick or an elite glue guy. They should not trade him for 35 year old veteran salary fillers and low-tier first-round picks.
The Pistons also essentially got Marvin Bagley for free. Josh Jackson doesn’t have a role on offense and Trey Lyles hasn’t proven anything outside of his mediocre floor-spacing to be a long-term asset. Bagley would be a good athletic lob threat next to Cade/Killian which was something the Pistons were lacking earlier this season. They also get a good rebounder when Stewart is sitting on the bench and in matchups where Stewart doesn’t have the size and strength advantage.
Although the Pistons could’ve waited in free agency to get him for nothing instead, the weaknesses keep him questionable of being worthy of a qualifying offer and that it would be better for them to try and aid it now than let those be problems in the next season. There are significant minuses that Marvin needs to solve in order to see more minutes with the Pistons and revive his career. First, the Pistons should figure out a way to improve Marvin’s shooting which has been very, very poor (22.7%) this season. If they could not, they’ll only put more pressure on Stewart on offense which would decrease his minutes. Second, Marvin is not a rim protector and it’s also the Pistons’ job to develop him into one which will be the only way Bagley could have a long NBA career as he does not offer a lot on offense that could compensate for his defensive incapabilities. The Pistons would still accept the $7M qualifying offer whatever the results will be regarding to his development due to his solidified lob threat/energetic big man role but the advantage of this compared to outright saving 2 second-round picks and waiting in free agency is that they’d already know what to expect and not expect from him and what role he could play for the team already due to the 20 games he would've already played which could reduce problems for them for next season.
A player who they truly needed to get rid of, but didn’t, though was Cory Joseph, who is not making any true winning impact nor proving anything to be a key piece in the future. He was starting and closing out games over Killian Hayes, the better defender and playmaker than him, and did nothing but to take ball touches away from the ones who truly need it. I wish those 7 attempts per game just went to someone else! It could also just be that nobody was interested in him so they might not deserve some negativity for not trading him. Casey just plays him too much and I have no idea why. He's not good at anything. Is this their way of stealth tanking?
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GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: A
The only reason why this is an A and not an A+ is because they failed to trade for a new washing machine. There is not a big name who could surely fit with this team for them to sell their young assets. The chemistry has been great and no rotation players and none of the young core should be touched as they still have very high ceilings. They could still win the championship with standing pat and the only thing that will lose them a whole playoff series by being out coached or Steph having the most horrendous slump of his career.
Looney is a good backup center for Wiseman. They could trust him to be able to guard the opposing big man and get those rebounds. The only thing Warriors fans should wish for is a combination of him and Bjelica so nobody hacks Looney to the freethrow line again in late clock situations, which doesn’t exist in a lot of, if not all, traditional bigs that are on the market.
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MIAMI HEAT: A
They forgot to trade for a dryer. What does Miami even need? Serious question. They have very switchable defenders, elite rebounders, high-tier playmakers, pure scorers and dangerous shooters. They were good even without Butler and Adebayo and they're still a top team in the league. Playing at their best, Miami should be a threat to come out of the East. A trade would create more problems than solving.
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MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: A
They forgot to trade for some hangers. Oh wait, they needed shooters -- oh wait, there's not anybody good enough on the market. Okay, don't force a trade.
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CHICAGO BULLS: A
Patrick Williams will be back. Lonzo Ball will be back. Alex Caruso will be back. Derrick Jones Jr. has been great. Javonte Green has been impactful. Coby White had his moments and removed the worry from both Lonzo and Alex being out. Ayo has been very consistent. What are you accomplishing in a trade?
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Part 5: Celtics, Nuggets, Pacers, Cavaliers