2015 NBA Draft: Grading the Trades

With all of the hype that comes with Draft Night, the trade market kind of disappointed.

Over recent years, we’ve become accustomed to seeing some blockbuster deals go down during the draft, but the 2015 NBA Draft didn’t bring any of that. Most of the trades that happened didn’t move the needle much and probably won’t shake up the landscape of the league.

Nevertheless, there are a few interesting tidbits of information to takeaway from last night’s event.

GREIVIS MOVES TO MILWAUKEE

Milwaukee Bucks: Greivis Vasquez – D+

Toronto Raptors: No. 46 (Norman Powell), 2017 LAC 1st – A-

Milwaukee cycled through a few backup point guards last season in Kendall Marshall and Jerryd Bayless. Vasquez will provide more offensively for them, but he has the reputation of being a bad defender — the end of the floor the Bucks pride themselves on.

Throwing in a first round pick makes this a heist for the Raptors. Greivis is a free agent in 2016 and getting a future first for a backup point guard on an expiring deal is as good as you can do. I’m also very high on Norman Powell, and think he is going to be a good defender at this level.

The only thing that keeps it from being an A+ for Toronto: Vasquez went to high school with Kevin Durant and is known to have been recruiting him to the Raptors.

WIZARDS TRADE UP FOR OUBRE

Washington Wizards: No. 15 (Kelly Oubre) – B

Atlanta Hawks: No. 19 (Jerian Grant), Two Future Seconds – C

This move didn’t really move the needle for the Hawks, sliding down only four spots and adding two future second round picks.

As for Washington, with Paul Pierce opting out and more than likely not returning, depth on the wing is a huge need. Oubre might need a year or two to tap into his potential, but the talent is there. Coming into the season, he was seen as a top ten pick, so getting him at No. 15 at the cost of two second round picks is great value. Adding him with Wall and Beal is a nice trio of perimeter players that have a lot of upside.

KNICKS TRADE BACK INTO THE FIRST ROUND

Atlanta Hawks: Tim Hardaway Jr. – C-

New York Knicks: No. 19 (Jerian Grant) – C+

Hardaway was drafted in the twenties by the Knicks two seasons ago. Two years later, he is traded for a first round pick higher than his original draft position. Based on his streaky performance the first two years in New York, this wasn’t worth the gamble for Atlanta. His 3-point shooting is appealing to a team that bombs a ton of threes, but his shot selection isn’t what you’d expect from a typical Hawks player.

The Knicks got a solid pick and roll point guard in Jerian Grant, a pass first player with great size and solid court vision. The problem Grant may face is the triangle isn’t by any means a pick and roll heavy system. Gathering talent is a necessity for the Knicks, however, and that is definitely what they did with this pick.

TYUS JONES GOES HOME

Cleveland Cavaliers: No. 31 (Cedi Osman), No. 36 (Rakeem Christmas), 2019 2nd Round Pick – B+

Minnesota Timberwolves: No. 24 (Tyus Jones) – B

Outside of Ricky Rubio, the Timberwolves don’t have another point guard on the roster. Not only is Jones a great pick at No. 24, he is from Minnesota and will definitely make the fans happy having a local kid on the team.

Cleveland got to save some tax room by getting a draft-and-stash player at No. 31. Christmas has a lot of tools that can help the Cavs add depth to their frontcourt, too. And, as I said before, turning one pick into multiple others is always a good idea.

SEVILLA TEAMMATES UNITE IN NEW YORK

New York Knicks: No. 35 (Guillermo Hernangomez) – C+

Philadelphia 76ers: Two Future Second Round Picks – C+

Philly has made a living parlaying second round picks into more second round picks in recent years. Hernangomez is an intriguing big man who was possibly seen as a late first round stash guy. Getting that at No. 35 for a couple of future second round picks was a decent deal for the Knicks.

MASON PLUMLEE JOINS THE PORTLAND REBUILD

Brooklyn Nets: No. 23 (Rondae Hollis-Jefferson), Steve Blake – D+

Portland Trailblazers: Mason Plumlee, No. 41 (Pat Connaughton) – B

Plumlee is the perfect type of center for the Blazers to have in the inevitable rebuild on their horizon this summer. They have a few other young bigs who bring different skills to the table with newly acquired Noah Vonleh and Meyers Leonard.

I wrote previously about how Plumlee was a candidate to be traded on draft night, stating that his value was around the mid first round. Getting him in exchange for the No. 23 pick and a veteran role player definitely capitalized on his value.

The Nets were trying to move Plumlee for a lottery pick, but nobody was biting. Hollis-Jefferson is a nice player for the No. 23 pick, but the Nets had one of the worst offenses in the league this year, a place where Hollis-Jefferson struggles. He’ll be a difference maker on defense from day one, something coach Lionel Hollins will love, but he is going to make their already cramped spacing even worse. Blake is a high end backup point guard, but they’re paying Jarrett Jack over $6 million to do the same thing, not to mention Deron Williams’ egregious contract.

The Nets were set on trading Plumlee, but this wasn’t the type of haul that I’m sure they would’ve liked.

GRIZZLIES TAKE A GAMBLE ON FORMER KENTUCKY POINT GUARD

Memphis Grizzlies: No. 44 (Andrew Harrison) – C-

Phoenix Suns: Jon Leuer – C

Leuer never was able to crack the rotation consistently in Memphis, but the Suns are willing to take a cheap flyer on a player who has shown the ability to stretch the floor at the four position. For that reason, Leuer might be able to play himself into the rotation.

Harrison adds a different dimension to the Grizzlies that they don’t currently have – he attacks the basket relentlessly in the pick and roll and showed an advanced feel for the floor as his career went on at Kentucky.

There are worse options for a third point guard in the league.

NETS GRAB ARGENTINAN WING

Brooklyn Nets: No. 39 (Juan Valet) – C-

Charlotte Hornets: Two Future Second Round Picks – C

Valet is a gamble at this point in the draft, but many believe he might have the potential to come over and make an impact in a few years. The Hornets could’ve stashed him but they were able to get a few first round picks out of the deal.

CLIPPERS BUY THEIR WAY INTO THE DRAFT

Los Angeles Clippers: No. 56 (Branden Dawson) – C-

New Orleans Pelicans: Cash – C

The Pelicans only had one draft pick and sold it to the Clippers, who took Branden Dawson out of Michigan State. I’m not too fond of Dawson’s skill set, and don’t see him using any of them in the NBA. Paying for a second round pick isn’t a bad idea, but I’m not sold that Dawson will ever be able to contribute in this league.