Analyzing NBA Trades

By Guest Blogger Tyler Daly:

The way the current NBA is moving, superstars are linking up all around the league to form “Superteams,” threatening to swallow the little guys.  This has caused plenty of cap room money being moved and big trades going down this season.  Not all trades turn out to be a success, however.  Here are some of the top trades and how they turned out:

Trade #1 – Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks:

This move was talked about for weeks upon weeks upon weeks before it finally went down.  It was ‘Melo to the Knicks, then the Nets, then the Lakers, and so on and so forth.  Finally, the prolific scorer from Syracuse landed in the Big Apple next to Amare Stoudemire.  Unfortunately, this move has not turned out to be as successful in the short-term as some would have hoped.  The Knicks gave up many of the key pieces that made this team an exciting first half surprise, and have struggled to adjust to having two dominant scorers on the floor at the same time.  In the long term, I think this move was good for the Knicks; however, I would not expect much from this team in the playoffs, as they still seem to be searching for their way.

Trade #2 – Kendrick Perkins/Jeff Green trade:

This move surprised me from the beginning.  The Boston Celtics sent back up point guard Nate Robinson and a young promising center in Kendrick Perkins to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Jeff Green and Nenad Kristic.  Jeff Green is certainly a great prospect; a great face-up forward who can put pressure on defenses with his ability to hit from the perimeter.  But, I believe the Celtics really came out losers in this one.  They don’t have a reliable back up point guard in Delonte West and gave up a lot of size by releasing Perkins.  The acquisition of Troy Murphy gives the Celtics another shooter, but how many more of those do they need?  In this trade, I call OKC winners, obtaining more young pieces in Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson to build upon an already exciting squad.

Trade #3 – Gerald Wallace to the Portland Trail Blazers:

Maybe a little off the wall with this one, but hear me out.  Portland is a squad with plenty of speed and are peaking in momentum at the right point of the season.  They have been playing some of their best basketball lately, and it’s due in major part to Wallace.  He adds another slasher to this loaded offense, with his ability to take the ball to the basket and finish at an elevated level.  Portland has a potential favorable first-round playoff matchup with the fatiguing Dallas Mavericks.  Look for Gerald Wallace and Brandon Roy to make some noise.