NBA Draft Trade Tracker: Analyzing every draft night trade

The NBA Draft usually marks a significant turning point in the offseason. It is a time when everyone around the league has a sense of optimism. But more notably, it is an exciting period that kicks off a stretch of players constantly being on the move.

Teams across the Association are looking to upgrade their roster on draft night. If franchises aren't adding young talent with their picks in hopes of changing their fortunes, they're using them to trade for veterans or future assets. Nonetheless, the action during the annual event is nonstop. There is never a dull moment -- anything can happen, only adding to the intrigue.

So, we have created a hub to follow and evaluate every deal during this year's draft. Here, we will provide details and grade every transaction from the perspective of both sides.

NBA Draft Trade Tracker: Analyzing every draft night trade

Timberwolves move up for Rob Dillingham

For the Timberwolves: A Minnesota team bereft of draft capital continues depleting their resources. Nonetheless, they believe the undersized combo guard can be the long-term backcourt mate to ascending two-way guard Anthony Edwards. Currently over the second apron, adding a talented young player on a team-controlled multi-year pact is a worthwhile move.

GRADE: B

For the Spurs: San Antonio further bolsters its war chest of assets while waiting for an opportunity to strike and upgrade the roster around Victor Wembanyama. If they weren't high on anyone still on the board (Dillingham included), moving out of the No. 8 spot and stockpiling picks makes sense. Moreover, those Timberwolves selections could be significantly valuable depending on how things shake out in Minnesota.

GRADE: A

Nuggets keep their promise to DaRon Holmes

For the Nuggets: Intel before the draft suggested Holmes secured a promise from someone to get drafted in the first round -- many suspected it was Denver. Now, the Nuggets trade up to ensure they land the former Dayton Flyer. Nonetheless, they gave up a decent haul to do so. But the reigning A-10 Defensive Player of the Year improved each year at the collegiate level, particularly from beyond the arc, and provides much-needed depth.

GRADE: B+

For the Suns: Phoenix will take multiple bites at the apple rather than choosing one player, which is a worthwhile move considering their messy payroll situation. The Suns are over the second apron, so they can virtually only upgrade the team with draft picks and minimum contract signings. Filling out the roster is challenging given their financial limitations, so recouping assets and using them to secure team-controlled deals makes sense.

GRADE: A

Knicks-Wizards swap late first-rounders

For the Knicks: After pulling off a blockbuster trade for Mikal Bridges on the eve of the draft, New York continued working the phones. They took on additional salary and depleted their war chest from the swap with Brooklyn, so the Knicks made a cost-saving move here. Additionally, they pick up a second-rounder for their troubles.

GRADE: B+

For the Wizards: Washington successfully moves up one spot to ensure they land their player of choice in wing Kyshawn George from Miami. It didn't cost them much, and they received two other second-rounders from the Portland Trail Blazers earlier in the day. Perhaps that made them feel more comfortable parting ways with the No. 51 pick.

GRADE: A-

Knicks replenish their draft capital in deal with Thunder

For the Knicks: Moments after receiving the No. 26 pick from the Wizards, New York re-routed the selection to the Thunder. They acquired a bevy of future second-rounders because of it, reloading their ammunition of resources after going all-in on Bridges.

GRADE: A

For the Thunder: Oklahoma City seemingly has infinite draft capital, so they may not feel the loss of sending out so many picks, though most franchises would. Still, it is hard to justify the transaction, considering Jones was primarily considered a second-round. He wasn't invited to the green room on Wednesday, telling us everything we needed to know about his draft stock.

GRADE: D

Raptors add a second-round pick and some depth

For the Raptors: This feels like another weird, fighting tooth-and-nail kind of attempt to stay competitive. McDaniels had fallen out of the rotation but Mitchell will play backup point guard minutes and bring aggressive point-of-attack defense. Vezenkov didn't do much for the Kings last season but he's a former EuroLeague MVP who should get some burn off the bench.

GRADE: B-

For the Kings: This clears room for Devin Carter to take over the backcourt point guard role next to Malik Monk, bringing the same kind of defense as Mitchell but with more offensive positives. McDaniels may find his way into the rotation as a plus wing defender but his outside shooting is pretty shaky.

GRADE: C+

Rockets get another young wing

For the Hawks: The mission appears to be shedding contracts and adding draft assets but this feels like a weird one. Griffin was the No. 16 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft and while he barely played last year because of injuries, he's still just 21, made 39 percent of his 3s as a rookie and has legitimate upside as a wing scorer. If you're focused on the future, he seems like the kind of player you'd keep around, even as a longshot.

GRADE: D

For the Rockets: Griffin probably has more upside than anyone the Rockets would have taken with the No. 44 pick but what do you do with him? He's a wing and the Rockets already have Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, Cam Whitmore, Reed Sheppard and Dillon Brooks in front of him. He's a positive asset but he might never get the chance to play.

GRADE: B

We’ll update this article as trades come in throughout the draft -- stay tuned.