Revisiting Al Jefferson to the Utah Jazz

When Al Jefferson was traded from the Timberwolves to the Jazz last summer, it had to be hard for the T-Wolves fans to accept losing 17 points and 9 rebounds for not much more than nameless, faceless draft picks. Luckily, those pick eventually become players. Minnesota also received Kosta Koufos in the trade, who they eventually gave up in the Carmelo Anthony trade, getting Anthony Randolph and Eddy Curry in return. Curry's contract was bought out before he saw the court, and Randolph played fairly well, averaging 11.7 points and 5.2 rebounds in 22 games.

The Timberwolves also received two first round picks in the trade. One was protected for 2011 so will likely become Utah's 2012 first round selection. Minnesota also received the 20th pick in the 2011 draft, which they used to select Lithuanian forward Donatas Motiejunas.

It is hard to pick a winner for this trade. The pieces the T-Wolves received are young and still have much to prove. Al Jefferson is a good player who is still young, so it definitely wasn't a bad trade for the Jazz.

EDIT: After drafting Donatas Motiejunas, it looks like he will be traded to the Rockets along with Jonny Flynn in exchange for pick #23, Brad Miller, and a future 1st round pick. Taking that into account, the T-Wolves could end up with three first round picks along with Brad Miller for the total price of Al Jefferson, Jonny Flynn, and Kosta Koufos. This combination of trades could turn out very good for the Timberwolves, pending their ability to make good picks moving forward.

Revisiting the Deron Williams Trade

Deron Williams was the big name involved in a trade between the Utah Jazz and New Jersey Nets, but it may be what the Jazz got in return that will be remembered about this trade. While Williams is a great player who averaged 15 points and over 12 assists in twelve games with the Nets, the Jazz got three young pieces in return.

Devin Harris scored 15.8 ppg with the Jazz, while Derrick Favors added 8.2 ppg. While those numbers aren't anything too special, the biggest upside is that Harris is 28 years old and Favors is only 19, so the Jazz could have a bright future. The Jazz also received a first round pick from the Nets, which turned out to be #3 overall, where they chose Enes Kanter, who is also 19 years old. With that combination of youth and upside, the Jazz look to have made the most of giving up their star.

Final Trade Evaluation:

Nets Get - Deron Williams

Jazz Get - Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, 2011 3rd overall pick (Enes Kanter)

Edge - Jazz

Looking Back at the Baron Davis Trade

When I first heard of the trade that sent Baron Davis from the Clippers to the Cavaliers in exchange for Mo Williams and Jamario Moon, it looked like a fairly even trade, with possibly a slight edge for the Clippers. I think of Mo Williams as a young (28), scoring point guard, as opposed to an aging (32) Baron Davis who looked to be on the down swing of a solid career.

Williams averaged 15.2 ppg along with 5.6 assists. Throw in 3.5 points from Jamario Moon, and you have decent production from that end of the trade. Baron Davis averaged 13.9 ppg plus over 6 assists, only playing 15 games in Cleveland. All that said, it looks like a slight edge to the Clippers, right? Wrong.

We often overlook the addition of draft picks in trades, and the pick included in this trade was a big one. The Cavaliers got an unprotected 1st round pick from the Clippers as part of this trade, a pick which turned out to be the lottery winner. So in the end, what looked like a fairly even trade may haunt the Clippers for years.

Final trade evaluation:

Cavaliers Get - Baron Davis, 2011 1st overall pick (Kyrie Irving)

Clippers Get - Mo Williams, Jamario Moon

Edge - Cavaliers

Bill Belichick: King of Trading Picks

Anyone who follows the NFL draft and more specifically the New England Patriots knows the reputation and philosophy employed by Bill Belichick and the front office. They are always looking to trade picks for more picks later on, and they always seem to find a way to stock up on multiple 1st and 2nd round picks year after year. The Pats went into Thursday's draft with 3 of the first 33 picks, and somehow finished with an extra first and second for next year. We all talk about these picks Belichick collects, but let's take a closer look at two high profile trades over the last couple seasons along with one under the radar trade that paid off nicely for New England:

In September 2009, the Patriots traded Richard Seymour to the Raiders for a 2011 first round pick. Now that the draft has passed, we know that pick was used to select Nate Solder. In the end, New England parted with an aging yet productive veteran for a player who will potentially take over for another aging veteran, Matt Light, and be in charge of keeping Tom Brady upright for the remainder of his career.

In October 2010 the Patriots traded another aging veteran, Randy Moss, to the Vikings for a third round draft pick. What looked like an exciting move for Minnesota turned out to be a busted trade, basically giving New England a pick for nothing. We saw that pick used on Friday when the Patriots selected Ryan Mallett, a luxury pick who could be the potential heir to Tom Brady's throne.

Now this next trade is an example of how Bill Belichick wheels and deals picks and makes the most of what he gets in return. In the 2009 draft, the Patriots traded their third round pick (#89) to the Titans, who chose tight end Jared Cook. In return, NE received a 2010 second round pick.

Cut to the 2010 draft. The Patriots traded that pick from the Titans to the Cardinals in return for a 2nd

and a 3rd. They then traded the 2nd round pick to the Texans for a 2nd and a 5th. They used that 2nd round pick to select Brandon Spikes, and picked up Zoltan Mesco in the fifth round. The Patriots took the 3rd round pick from the Cardinals and sent it to the Panthers, who selected Armanti Edwards, in return for a 2011 second round pick. As we saw, the Patriots used that pick to choose cornerback Ras-I Dowling from Virginia.

So, to simplify that 2009 draft day trade: The Patriots ultimately gave up one pick that was originally theirs (#89 to Tennessee). In return, they got Brandon Spikes, Zoltan Mesko, and Ras-I Dowling. While it remains to be seen what impact those three players will have for the Patriots, it shows the genius that is Bill Belichick and the entire Patriots organization.

Blaine Gabbert trade: What the 'Skins got in return

As we saw from the Redskins, they had a goal of not only adding talent, but leaning towards quantity over quality. It started when they traded the #10 overall pick to the Jaguars in return for #16 and #49. Seems simple right? Well from there it got wild. Washington made a plethora of trades, unloading #49 to the Colts for a pair of picks, one of which was traded again for for two more, one of which was traded again, and so on. Ultimately, for the total price of the #10 pick and throwing in #144 in a trade to Houston, here are the players that the Redskins picked up in return:

#16 - Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue OLB

#79 - Leonard Hankerson, Miami (Fl) WR

#105 - Roy Helu, Nebraska RB

#146 - Dejon Gomes, Nebraska S

#178 - Aldrick Robinson, SMU WR

#217 - Maurice Hurt, Florida OG

Not a bad trade overall considering they picked up six pieces who could potentially make the team while only giving up two picks of their own in the process.