We will break down the early trading from opening of NLL this season to present day in a team by team breakdown.  Also, at the end we will discuss the biggest winners and losers. 

 

Atlanta:

 

            The Atlanta Hawks send DeShaun Thomas to the Houston Rockets. The Houston Rockets send Jared Cunningham to the Atlanta Hawks.
The Atlanta Hawks use their trade exception over $ 1,208,400.
The Atlanta Hawks trade -5 GM points.The Houston Rockets receive 5 GM points.

 

-This trade seems relatively even, but Jared Cunningham has been playing better than Thomas thus far in the NBA.  Advantage - ATL

 

The San Antonio Spurs send Derek Fisher to the Atlanta Hawks.
The Atlanta Hawks use their trade exception over $ 1,399,507.
The Atlanta Hawks trade -3 GM points.The San Antonio Spurs receive 3 GM points.

 

-3 GM points for a 3^rd string PG sounds too good to be true.  If Fisher stays healthy, he’s a great contingency plan in case of injury.  Advantage – ATL

 

            Atlanta has also been involved in a few controversial “GM loan” trades.

 

Boston:

 

            The Boston Celtics send Sammy Mejia and Bojan Bogdanovic to the Utah Jazz.
The Boston Celtics receive 4 GM points. The Utah Jazz trade -4 GM points.

 

            -4 GM points for 2 players that may never play in the NBA.  Both guys are Euro-stash players, but there is no guarantee that either come State-side. On the flip side, if either ever come over and play, Utah gets a steal of a deal. Advantage- None yet (jury is out)

 

            The Boston Celtics send Marreese Speights to the LA Lakers. The LA Lakers send Steve Novak to the Boston Celtics.
The Boston Celtics receive 14 GM points. The LA Lakers trade -14 GM points.

 

            -For a team in desperate need of big men, this one seems more of a head scratcher.  Speights is a decent scoring big that can play PF or C.  Novak is a decent stretch 4, but really can’t do anything more that shoot an open 3.  Advantage - Lakers

 

The Boston Celtics send Will Bynum to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Oklahoma City Thunder send Joel Anthony to the Boston Celtics.
The Boston Celtics receive 6 GM points. The Oklahoma City Thunder trade -6 GM points.

 

            -Another curious trade for the Celtics.  However, with all the guards they have, including the new addition of O.J. Mayo, Bynum was very much expendable.  Anthony is a great role player, but a bit undersized at C.  He’s best at rebounding and getting out of the way offensively.  OKC has tons of guards also and Bynum is undersized for a SG.  At least Boston filled a need.  Advantage – BOS

 

Brooklyn:

 

          The Brooklyn Nets send Cole Aldrich and Maalik Wayns to the Phoenix Suns. The Brooklyn Nets send Derek Fisher to the San Antonio Spurs. The Phoenix Suns send Gerald Green to the Brooklyn Nets. The Phoenix Suns send Perry Jones to the San Antonio Spurs. The San Antonio Spurs send Tony Allen to the Phoenix Suns.
The Brooklyn Nets send a 1st-Rounder (Bkn) to the Phoenix Suns.

 

            -Gerald Green is the NLL favorite here, but this is a trade that seems to fit all the teams needs.  Allen fits what Phx is trying to do and Phx gets a 1^st rounder in the deal, SA gets a cheap prospect, and Bkn gets Green.  Advantage – Brooklyn by a hair

 

            The Brooklyn Nets send Carlos Delfino to the Chicago Bulls. The Chicago Bulls send Darrell Arthur and Reggie Jackson to the Brooklyn Nets.
The Brooklyn Nets send a 2nd-Rounder (Bkn) to the Chicago Bulls.

 

            -2 days after the trade, Delfino tweets that he will miss most, if not all, of the upcoming season.  As long as anyone Chicago sent in the trade plays, Brooklyn wins big.  Advantage – Brooklyn

 

Charlotte:

 

            The Orlando Magic send Ekpe Udoh to the Charlotte Bobcats.
The Charlotte Bobcats send a 2nd-Rounder (Cha) to the Orlando Magic.
The Charlotte Bobcats trade -10 GM points.The Orlando Magic receive 10 GM points.

 

            -Lots of people disagree with this deal, thinking that 10 GM is way too much for Udoh, but to get a player for 10 GM and a 2^nd rounder that is already semi established in the NBA via trade is much easier than trying for one in FA, especially with the bad record Charlotte had last year.  Advantage: Even

 

The Chicago Bulls send Quincy Miller to the Charlotte Bobcats. The Charlotte Bobcats send Al Harrington to the Chicago Bulls.
The Chicago Bulls use their trade exception over $ 1,399,507.
The Charlotte Bobcats receive 10 GM points. The Chicago Bulls trade -10 GM points.

 

            -Personally, I think Harrington is a good veteran to have on your roster.  Miller is a promising prospect, but there is no guarantee that he will perform in the NBA.  I’ll take proven over prospect most days.  The only other factor is cap, and moving Harrington saves over $3M.  Advantage – Bulls

 

 

Chicago:

 

The Milwaukee Bucks send Al-Farouq Aminu to the Chicago Bulls.
The Chicago Bulls send a 2nd-Rounder (Bos) to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Chicago Bulls trade -6 GM points.The Milwaukee Bucks receive 6 GM points.

 

-This is another continuation to my theory that a player established is worth more than a few GM and a 2^nd rounder.  Bulls need a scrapper and that’s what Aminu is.  Advantage – CHI

 

The New Orleans Pelicans send Ian Mahinmi to the Chicago Bulls.
The Chicago Bulls use their trade exception over $ 4,000,000.
The Chicago Bulls trade -13 GM points.The New Orleans Pelicans receive 13 GM points.

 

-Mahinmi has steadily improved, but was he worth 13 GM?  Chicago thinks so, and he will be a great backup C.  13 GM seems to just be the cost of doing business.  Advantage – CHI

 

            Delfino deal – SEE BROOKLYN.

 

            Harrington deal – SEE CHARLOTTE.

 

            The Chicago Bulls send Adam Hanga to the Utah Jazz.
The Chicago Bulls receive 3 GM points. The Utah Jazz trade -3 GM points.

 

            -Hanga was drafted in 2011, so he’s not looking like he’s gonna make it to the U.S. anytime soon.  Utah seems to be adding lots of Euro-stashes.  Good luck with that.  Advantage – CHI

 

            The Miami Heat send John Lucas to the Chicago Bulls.
The Chicago Bulls send a 2nd-Rounder (Bkn) to the Miami Heat.
The Chicago Bulls use their trade exception over $ 1,600,000.
The Chicago Bulls trade -2 GM points.The Miami Heat receive 2 GM points.

 

            -Early verdict was that Lucas needed to be dumped in an effort to procure a top level FA.  Miami lost out on the FA, but got 2 GM and a 2^nd rounder for Lucas.  Chicago got injury protection for his PGs.  Advantage – CHI

 

CLEVELAND:

 

          No trades

 

DALLAS:

 

            The New Orleans Pelicans send Tornike Shengelia to the Dallas Mavericks.
The Dallas Mavericks use their trade exception over $ 788,872. The Dallas Mavericks trade -5 GM points.The New Orleans Pelicans receive 5 GM points.

 

- Shengelia isn’t gonna become special anytime soon, but sometimes it helps to just get that cheap contract.  NO was trying to dump him anyway for 8 GM, but settled on 5 in the end. Shrewd trading by Dallas gets him the body cheaper than advertised.  Advantage – Dallas

 

 

DENVER:

 

The Denver Nuggets send Manu Ginobili, Udonis Haslem, Dwight Howard, Tyshawn Taylor and Mike Muscala to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Portland Trail Blazers send Kwame Brown, Travis Outlaw, Kendrick Perkins, John Wall, Derrick Favors and Lucas Nogueira to the Denver Nuggets.
The Denver Nuggets receive 20 GM points. The Portland Trail Blazers trade -20 GM points.

 

            -Dwight is the best player in the deal, but as Nick points out, the defense hasn’t quite translated yet to the NLL.  That being said, Nick got way younger with a strong core of Wall and Favors.  The Blazers get Manu, Haslem, and Howard, along with prospects Taylor and Muscala.  This was a pretty fairly even trade, but looking at the other pieces, I would give the smallest edge to Portland, as a combo of Howard, Manu, Jordan Crawford, J Thompson and JJ sounds more formidable than Wall, Favors, MKG, Zeller, and Waiters.  Like I said, it’s close!  Advantage – Port

 

DETROIT:

 

            The Detroit Pistons send Pau Gasol to the LA Clippers. The Detroit Pistons send Rudy Gay, Chase Budinger and Jimmer Fredette to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The LA Clippers send Amare Stoudemire to the Detroit Pistons. The Minnesota Timberwolves send Danny Granger, Derrick Williams and John Jenkins to the Detroit Pistons. The Detroit Pistons send a 2nd-Rounder (Det) to the LA Clippers. The LA Clippers send a 1st-Rounder (LAC) to the Detroit Pistons. The Detroit Pistons receive 7 GM points. The LA Clippers trade -10 GM points.The Minnesota Timberwolves receive 3 GM points.

 

            -This deal helped all teams BUT Detroit.  Amare is a walking injury, and Granger still isn’t cleared to play this season.  Yes, Gasol was hurt much of last year, but he’s not a perennial injured reserve.  Detroit was saying they wanted to do multi-player deals, with them getting more than they gave.  However, this deal was straight 4-4 players.  Even the 2 other players Detroit got back have huge question marks regarding their futures.  On the bright side, Detroit did upgrade their 2^nd rounder into a Clippers 1^st.  That wasn’t enough to make the trade even for all.  Advantage – LAC AND MINN

 

GOLDEN STATE:

 

            The Golden State Warriors send Andre Iguodala to the LA Lakers. The LA Lakers send JJ Redick, Wilson Chandler and Lavoy Allen to the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors send a 2nd-Rounder (GS) to the LA Lakers. The Golden State Warriors receive 30 GM points. The LA Lakers trade -30 GM points.

 

            -Perhaps this wouldn’t have been such a bad trade if there wasn’t a 1^st round swap included in the deal.  GS will likely have a pick within the top 5, and LA with their moves will have one in the late 20s.  This writer already knows of at least one other offer for Iggy that was better, but like GM Tmac said in the comments, it was not a smart move to grab a quick offer.  If GM WALLrus would have been patient, he would have gotten MANY more offers, I’m willing to bet they ALL would have been better.  Advantage – LAKERS in a landslide.

 

HOUSTON:

 

            The Houston Rockets send Trevor Ariza to the Toronto Raptors. The Toronto Raptors send Jeff Taylor to the Houston Rockets. The Toronto Raptors send a 2nd-Rounder (Tor) to the Houston Rockets. The Houston Rockets trade -10 GM points.The Toronto Raptors receive 10 GM points.

 

            -Ariza is better than Taylor, even with the big difference in salary. Yes, the Raptors sent a 2^nd, but they got 10 GM back so that part is a wash.  Advantage – Toronto

 

            Thomas for Cunningham deal – SEE ATLANTA

 

INDIANA:

 

 

The Indiana Pacers send Marc Gasol and Shabazz Muhammad to the Phoenix Suns. The Phoenix Suns send Marcin Gortat and Arron Afflalo to the Indiana Pacers.
The Indiana Pacers receive 20 GM points. The Phoenix Suns trade -20 GM points.

 

-Trade fills needs for both teams.  Gasol is upgrade over Gortat, but Afflalo is better than Muhammad(a projected top 5 talent early before the draft).  GM points were included for Indiana also.  If Muhammad can shake off the early problems he created for himself, he could reach that potential that had him as a potential #1 pick a year ago.  But we don’t talk hypothetical yet.  Advantage - IND

           

The Indiana Pacers send Tomas Satoransky and Grant Jerrett to the Utah Jazz.
The Indiana Pacers receive 8 GM points. The Utah Jazz trade -8 GM points.

 

            This was for 2 players, one was drafted this season, the other last year.  4 GM per person sounds pretty fair.  Jerrett looks to play in the D-League this year and Satoransky hasn’t caught on yet either.  Advantage – IND

 

LA CLIPPERS:

 

            Amare trade – SEE DETROIT

 

LA LAKERS:

 

            Iggy trade – SEE GS

 

            Speights trade – SEE BOSTON

 

            The LA Lakers send Patrick Patterson to the New York Knicks. The New York Knicks send Mario Chalmers to the LA Lakers.  The LA Lakers send a 2nd-Rounder (LAL) to the New York Knicks.

 

            -Chalmers is better than Patterson, but both teams filled needs here.  I just think that Chalmers has been steadily improving with the NBA Heat, but Patterson has inconsistency.  Advantage – LAKERS

 

MEMPHIS:

 

          No trades

 

MIAMI:

 

          Lucas trade – SEE CHICAGO

 

MILWAUKEE:

 

          Aminu trade – SEE CHICAGO

 

MINNESOTA:

 

          Gay trade – SEE DETROIT

 

NEW ORLEANS:

 

          Shengalia trade – SEE DALLAS

 

            Mahinmi trade – SEE CHICAGO

 

 

NEW YORK:

 

            PATTERSON TRADE – SEE LAKERS

 

OKLAHOMA CITY:

 

            BYNUM TRADE – SEE BOSTON

 

ORLANDO:

 

            The Orlando Magic send Brandon Jennings to the Washington Wizards. The Washington Wizards send Luke Ridnour and Trey Burke to the Orlando Magic.
The Orlando Magic receive 20 GM points. The Washington Wizards trade -20 GM points.

 

            -Both teams benefit from this deal, but I like that Orlando got 2 player AND GM.  Burke looks to be a solid addition, but Ridnour can start until Burke is ready.  Jennings is a shoot first PG, so hopefully Darko will find the right lineups to get the most out of his team.  Advantage – ORL

 

            The Orlando Magic send Jason Terry to the Phoenix Suns. The Phoenix Suns send Ersan Ilyasova to the Orlando Magic.

 

            -Ilyasova was expendable in Phoenix once Smith came over.  Orlando felt that Terry was expendable once he traded for Burke and Ridnour.  The chips seemed to fall perfectly for both teams, as a relatively even and fair trade filled a need for each team.  Advantage – Even

 

            The Orlando Magic send Boris Diaw and Gerald Henderson to the Sacramento Kings. The Sacramento Kings send Tyreke Evans to the Orlando Magic.
The Orlando Magic send a 2nd-Rounder (Orl) to the Sacramento Kings.

 

            -Reke has been off to a rough start with the NBA Pelicans, but he’s a better player than Henderson.  Diaw is a niche player and 2^nd rounders are fodder.  However, with Sac, Diaw will fit nicely behind Love and Henderson will be good off the bench.  Both teams win in a must Sign and Trade for Evans.  Advantage – Even

 

            Udoh trade – SEE CHARLOTTE