Trade Grades
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Cavaliers get: PF Channing Frye
Magic get: SG Jared Cunningham, second-round pick
Blazers get: C/PF Anderson Varejao (waived), top-10 protected 2018 first-rounder (via Cleveland)
What do you do when you trade away your best power forward (Tobias Harris)? Well, obviously, the next logical step is to trade away your second best power forward!
Wait... what?
I was among those who believed that trading away the 23 year old Harris for two veterans meant that the Magic were climbing towards "win-now" mode, rather than "win-soon". But now all of a sudden, they're trading away the solid veteran power forward, Frye, in exchange for a second-rounder and this Cunningham dude? The only possible explanation for these two moves, the only areas where they are consistent with one another, is clearing cap space. But since when has Orlando ever been a top free agent destination (Hi, Dwight Howard)?
Look, the trade itself isn't awful. Frye probably wasn't worth too much more than the second-rounder anyways. But trying to figure out the team's direction just baffles me. The front office needs to start figuring things out.
Grade: C
Trade Grades
Click here for link to Detroit Pistons Trade Grades
Pistons get: PF/SF Tobias Harris
Magic get: PG Brandon Jennings, PF/SF Ersan Ilyasova
At 23-29 and 11th in the East, Orlando was clearly tired of the draft lottery and wanted to change things up. But was this a good change? The Magic have a very talented young core, of which the 23-year-old Harris was a featured member of, but the forward has only put up 13.7 points per game, compared to 17 per game last season, albeit steady in all other statistics. Thus management was concerned by the plateau, and felt the need to sell Harris even at the expense of breaking up the core. Questionable? Perhaps, but not entirely unreasonable.
Either way, the Magic got a decent haul in return. Ilyasova figures to be Harris' replacement in the rotation, and a solid one at that. Hitting 1.5 threes per game, Illy provides spacing for a team that has very little, and his rebounding ability is probably equal to that of Harris'. Athleticism and defense are the only areas where Orlando loses in the swap of forwards.
Jennings is a major question-mark after struggling mightily this season from his return from ACL surgery, and it also remains to be seen how he will fit behind the guard duo of Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo. But the point guard has potential as a triple-threat guard with his excellent scoring, ball-handling, and (when he wants to) passing abilities. When healthy, Jennings can be the offensive playmaker this team needs, and there is zero financial risk attached to his expiring $8 million contract.
Grade: B+
Trade Grades
Click here for link to Miami Heat Trade Grades
Magic get: PG Shabazz Napier
Heat get: Second-round pick from Orlando (protected on numbers 31-55)
This is a curious deal from Orlando’s perspective. As that pick is protected to the point where it will never be conveyed to Miami, they got Napier for free. As he is still on a cheap rookie deal, getting the dazzling playmaker can only be a good thing, but how much of a good thing is it really? Napier was a late first-rounder in 2014, and had a decent rookie season with averages of 5.1 points and 2.5 assists per game in limited minutes with the Heat. However, there is little sense in Orlando trading for him: they already have Elfrid Payton, C.J Watson, Victor Oladipo, Evan Fournier, and others in a solid backcourt rotation. Again, this deal can only be positive, but the Magic just have little to no use for the UConn product.
Grade: B
Thanks to Caleb Pitts (@caleb.pitts) for his contribution to this trade grade
Click here for link to Cleveland Cavaliers Trade Grades
Click here for link to Portland Trail Blazers Trade Grades
Cavaliers get: PF Channing Frye
Magic get: SG Jared Cunningham, second-round pick
Blazers get: C/PF Anderson Varejao (waived), top-10 protected 2018 first-rounder (via Cleveland)
What do you do when you trade away your best power forward (Tobias Harris)? Well, obviously, the next logical step is to trade away your second best power forward!
Wait... what?
I was among those who believed that trading away the 23 year old Harris for two veterans meant that the Magic were climbing towards "win-now" mode, rather than "win-soon". But now all of a sudden, they're trading away the solid veteran power forward, Frye, in exchange for a second-rounder and this Cunningham dude? The only possible explanation for these two moves, the only areas where they are consistent with one another, is clearing cap space. But since when has Orlando ever been a top free agent destination (Hi, Dwight Howard)?
Look, the trade itself isn't awful. Frye probably wasn't worth too much more than the second-rounder anyways. But trying to figure out the team's direction just baffles me. The front office needs to start figuring things out.
Grade: C
Trade Grades
Click here for link to Detroit Pistons Trade Grades
Pistons get: PF/SF Tobias Harris
Magic get: PG Brandon Jennings, PF/SF Ersan Ilyasova
At 23-29 and 11th in the East, Orlando was clearly tired of the draft lottery and wanted to change things up. But was this a good change? The Magic have a very talented young core, of which the 23-year-old Harris was a featured member of, but the forward has only put up 13.7 points per game, compared to 17 per game last season, albeit steady in all other statistics. Thus management was concerned by the plateau, and felt the need to sell Harris even at the expense of breaking up the core. Questionable? Perhaps, but not entirely unreasonable.
Either way, the Magic got a decent haul in return. Ilyasova figures to be Harris' replacement in the rotation, and a solid one at that. Hitting 1.5 threes per game, Illy provides spacing for a team that has very little, and his rebounding ability is probably equal to that of Harris'. Athleticism and defense are the only areas where Orlando loses in the swap of forwards.
Jennings is a major question-mark after struggling mightily this season from his return from ACL surgery, and it also remains to be seen how he will fit behind the guard duo of Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo. But the point guard has potential as a triple-threat guard with his excellent scoring, ball-handling, and (when he wants to) passing abilities. When healthy, Jennings can be the offensive playmaker this team needs, and there is zero financial risk attached to his expiring $8 million contract.
Grade: B+
Trade Grades
Click here for link to Miami Heat Trade Grades
Magic get: PG Shabazz Napier
Heat get: Second-round pick from Orlando (protected on numbers 31-55)
This is a curious deal from Orlando’s perspective. As that pick is protected to the point where it will never be conveyed to Miami, they got Napier for free. As he is still on a cheap rookie deal, getting the dazzling playmaker can only be a good thing, but how much of a good thing is it really? Napier was a late first-rounder in 2014, and had a decent rookie season with averages of 5.1 points and 2.5 assists per game in limited minutes with the Heat. However, there is little sense in Orlando trading for him: they already have Elfrid Payton, C.J Watson, Victor Oladipo, Evan Fournier, and others in a solid backcourt rotation. Again, this deal can only be positive, but the Magic just have little to no use for the UConn product.
Grade: B
Thanks to Caleb Pitts (@caleb.pitts) for his contribution to this trade grade