NBA Offseason 2020: Instant analysis of the biggest reported trades

NBA.com Staff

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NBA Offseason 2020: Instant analysis of the biggest reported trades image

NBA trade season is upon us.

Teams began completing deals at 12:00 p.m. ET on Monday, Nov. 16, two days ahead of the 2020 NBA Draft.

It's been over nine months since there have been trades made in the NBA, and there have been plenty of deals made to make up for lost time. Below, find reports and analysis from each of the deals made during this offseason trade period.

Report: Celtics send Enes Kanter to Trail Blazers in three-team trade

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Boston Celtics are sending Enes Kanter back to the Portland Trail Blazers in a three-team trade that also includes the Memphis Grizzlies.

After being bought out by the New York Knicks during the 2018-19 season, Kanter signed a contract with the Trail Blazers for the remainder of the season, playing a crucial role as a their starting centre in the team's run to the 2019 Western Conference Finals when Jusuf Nurkic went down. He then signed a one-plus-one deal with Celtics, picking up his player option before being traded to Portland.

The Blazers will send forward Mario Hezonja to the Grizzlies, who will also receive the draft rights to rookie wing Desmond Bane to complete the trade between Memphis and Boston from draft night.

In return, the Celtics will get a future draft pick from the Grizzlies and according to NBA writer Keith Smith, create a $4.767 million trade exception.

Portland adds another important piece toward being a legitimate contender, Memphis adds a promising young rookie and Boston gives itself more wiggle room heading into free agency.

Grading the deal:

Trail Blazers: A-

Celtics: A-

Grizzlies: B+

– Kyle Irving (@KyleIrv_)

Report: 76ers move Josh Richardson, acquire Seth Curry in return

Daryl Morey is making his mark as a Sixers executive, as he and general manager Elton Brand are certainly prioritizing adding shooting to the roster.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski has reported that Philadelphia is set to acquire Seth Curry from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Josh Richardson and the No. 36 overall pick in this year's NBA Draft.

Curry is coming off a season in which he averaged 12.4 points per game while shooting 45.2% from beyond the arc and is a 44.3% 3-point shooter for his career. Curry is the third reported addition for the Sixers, who have also reportedly added Danny Green and Terrance Ferguson from the Oklahoma City Thunder as well.

The Mavericks add length in defence in the 27-year-old Richardson, who averaged 13.7 points over 55 games (53 starts) with the Sixers last season. Dallas is prioritizing perimeter defence to improve around the young duo of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis.

This is a win on both sides.

Grading the deal:

76ers: A-

Mavericks: A-

– McGregor

Report: Rubio set to make Minnesota return

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Ricky Rubio is reportedly headed back to where his NBA career began.

According to a report from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Oklahoma City Thunder are sending the recently-acquired Rubio to the Minnesota Timberwolves and the No. 25 and No. 28 picks in this year's draft in exchange for the Wolves' No. 17 pick.

Rubio, who was selected by the Wolves with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, spent the first six seasons of his NBA career in Minnesota, averaging 10.3 points and 8.5 assists over 353 games.

Last season, the 30-year-old appeared in 65 games with the Phoenix Suns, averaging 13.0 points and 8.8 assists per game. He joins a Minnesota team that now features D'Angelo Russell, 2020 No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards in the backcourt and reunites with former teammate Karl-Anthony Towns.

Where Rubio fits in the backcourt is a bit unclear now, but it could be a move that means the No. 1 overall pick is a sixth man option to begin his career.

For OKC, this is the first opportunity for the franchise to flip the bevy of draft picks it has acquired into a better pick, as general manager Sam Presti's plan to rebuild becomes a bit clearer.

Grading the deal:

Timberwolves: B

Thunder: B+

– McGregor

Reports: Sixers move Horford, acquire Thunder's Green

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Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti continues to make deals.

After reportedly making deals to open the week, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski has reported that the Thunder have made a third, sending the recently-acquired Danny Green as well as Terrance Ferguson to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Al Horford, a second-round pick in 2020 and a "lightly-protected" first-round pick in 2025.

As Green was part of the Dennis Schröder deal made earlier in the week, this could end up formally being a three-team deal involving the Thunder, Sixers and Los Angeles Lakers.

This one is a win-win for both sides.

For the Sixers, the acquisition of Green is about adding shooting and defence to a team that has a strong defensive identity and lacked shooting. The 33-year-old averaged 8.0 points in both the regular season and postseason with the Lakers, shooting 36.7% from deep over 68 regular-season games. Philadelphia also frees itself financially, as Horford is owed $81 million over the next three years after signing a four-year deal worth $109 million in the 2019 offseason.

It's a win for an Oklahoma City franchise that continues to rack up draft capital. Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix reports that with this deal, the Thunder now have 17 first-round picks between now and 2026. After exceeding expectations to earn a playoff berth in 2020, OKC is now setting itself up to be a contender once again in a few year's time.

Grading the deal:

Thunder: B+

76ers: A-

– Gilbert McGregor ( @GMcGregor21 )

CP3 is headed to Phoenix

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It's official, All-Star guard Chris Paul is on his way to the Valley of the Sun. Paul and Abdel Nader, are headed to Phoenix in exchange for Kelly Oubre, Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque and a future first-round pick.

Paul, 35, is coming off of a season in which he averaged 17.6 points, 6.7 assists and 5.0 rebounds over 70 games with the Thunder. He joins an up-and-coming Suns team that features another All-Star in Devin Booker as well as 2018 No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton.

It's a win-now move for Phoenix, who fell just shy of qualifying for the postseason after going 8-0 during seeding games at the NBA Restart. Paul can reach untapped potential in Booker and Ayton, broken down by NBA.com's Scott Rafferty here . Additionally, CP3 is reunited with Monty Williams, with whom he played under for a year in New Orleans.

For the Thunder, it's yet another move with the future in mind.

Oubre will be a free agent following the 2020-21 season while Rubio is under contract through the 2021-22 season. Jerome and Lecque are entering their second seasons in the league while OKC now owns two first-round picks in the 2022 NBA Draft. 

Grading the deal

Suns:  A-

Thunder:  B+

– McGregor

Reports: The Lakers land Dennis Schröder

Dennis Schroder

The defending champions were the first team to get active ahead of the offseason trade period.

According to reports from Shams Charania of The Athletic and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Los Angeles Lakers have reached an agreement in principle to acquire Sixth Man of the Year runner up Dennis Schröder from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Danny Green and the No. 28 overall pick in the upcoming draft.

In accordance with the NBA's Stepien Rule, which states a team cannot be without its own first-round pick in any two consecutive drafts, the Lakers cannot complete the trade until after they make the selection , as they owe the New Orleans Pelicans a first-round pick in 2021.

Schröder is coming off a year in which he averaged 18.9 points and 4.0 assists over 65 regular-season games and is owed $15.5 million this upcoming season, which is the last of his contract. NBA.com's Scott Rafferty provides a detailed breakdown  of just how Schröder makes the Lakers an even scarier threat to defend their title.

OKC gets a 33-year-old Green, who, despite some inconsistency in the postseason, is still one of the league's better 3-and-D players. It's unclear whether or not Green will be a part of OKC's short-term plans; he has one year remaining on his deal as well but could hold value in the eye of a contender this season.

The big piece in the deal is the No. 28 overall pick, which is paramount for a Thunder team that looks to build for the future as it embarks upon a new era of basketball revolving around 22-year-old Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and 21-year-old Luguentz Dort.

Grading the deal

Lakers:  A-

Thunder:  B

– McGregor

Report: Bucks acquire Jrue Holiday from Pelicans 

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According to  The Athletic's Shams Charania , they have acquired two-way guard Jrue Holiday from the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Eric Bledsoe and George Hill and plenty of Draft compensation.

 

The report further states that the Draft assets shipped from the Bucks to the Pelicans include three first-round draft picks and two future draft pick swaps.

Holiday, 30, is entering the penultimate season (provided he picks up player option for 2021-22 season) of the five-year $131 million deal he signed with New Orleans in 2017. He averaged 19.1 points, 6.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and a career-high 1.6 steals in 61 games over the course of the 2019-20 season.

Although he was not named in the All-Defensive Team for the 2019-20 season, he is regarded among the best defensive and two-way guards in the league. Twice in the last three years, he has been named to the league's All-Defensive Team (2018 - First Team; 2019 - Second Team).

On the other hand, the Pelicans have dealt away a relatively older player - as compared to their young core - on a contract with just a couple of years remaining for a couple of veterans in Bledsoe and Hill, and a lot of useful draft assets. Seems like a win-and-win, let's see how it all pans out.

Grading the deal

Bucks: A-

Pelicans: A-

– Benyam Kidane (@BenyamKidane )

Report: Blazers acquire Covington for Ariza

Covington

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski , the Houston Rockets are sending Robert Covington to the Portland Trail Blazers in deal for Trevor Ariza and two future first-round draft picks.

Ariza, 35, is well regarded in Houston having played for the franchise in two previous stints and averaged 11 points and 4.8 rebounds per game for the Blazers in 21 games. The Rockets have some big decisions to make regarding the futures of James Harden and Russell Westbrook, but the draft capital coming back in return is a big plus.

As part of the deal, they will receive Portland’s No. 16 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft as well as overall selection as well as a protected pick in 2021.

Covington proved to be a valuable contributor for the Rockets, averaging 11.6 points and 8.0 rebounds in the regular-season games, shooting 50% from the 3-point line in 12 post-season appearances. His arrival in Portland is a win-now move and gives the Blazers a solid two-way wing player, who can space the floor and  bolster their 27th ranked defence.

Covington is owed $12.1 million in 2020-21 and $13.0 million the following season, while Ariza is in the final year of his contract, owed $12.8 million in 2020-21.

Grading the deal

Blazers:  A

Rockets: B-

– Kidane

Report: Bucks land Bogdan Bogdanovic in sign-and-trade with Kings

#GiannisBogdan

Hours after reportedly acquiring Jrue Holiday in a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans, Milwaukee has reportedly landed Serbian Bogdan Bogdanovic in a sign-and-trade, as per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

As part of the deal, the Bucks will reportedly also acquire Justin James.

Bogdanovic, the clear best player in this reported deal, played 61 games for the Kings this past season. He finished with averages of 15.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in just 29.1 minutes of action - his third season in the NBA.

Aged 28, the Serbian is a proven winner from his time in Europe with two Turkish League titles (2016, 17) and the 2017 EuroLeague championship to his name.

Grading the deal

Bucks: A

Kings: B

– Yash Matange ( @yashmatange2694 )

Report: Nets acquire Bruce Brown

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ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Brooklyn Nets have acquired guard Bruce Brown in exchange for former first-round pick Dzanan Musa.

Brown, 24, averaged 8.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 58 games (43 starts) with Detroit last season. A 6-foot-4 combo guard, Brown has shown the ability to be a staunch defender and an apt playmaker. It is unclear whether or not this is a part of a bigger deal on either side but the ways in which Brown can contribute to the Nets are clear.

Grading the deal

Nets:  B+

Pistons:  B-

– McGregor

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NBA.com Staff

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