Reactions To The Ramon Sessions Trade
Earlier today, the Lakers traded Luke Walton, Jason Kapono, and a first-round pick to the Cavaliers for Ramon Sessions and Christian Eyenga. Here's a roundup of reactions to the deal from around the web:
- CBS Sports' Royce Young thinks both teams made out well, with the Lakers getting a major upgrade at point guard and the rebuilding Cavs adding a first-round pick and flexibility for free agency in 2013.
- Kurt Helin of NBC's ProBasketballTalk blog thinks the Lakers got better at point guard but cautions that Sessions isn't the slam-dunk the fans were hoping for.
- The Los Angeles Times' Mark Medina points to Sessions' efficiency in the pick-and-roll as another way of creating offense to take pressure off Kobe Bryant.
- ESPNLosAngeles.com's Brian Kamenetzky echoes the view that Sessions is a significant upgrade at point guard, while also pointing out that the Lakers didn't burn their trade exception from the Lamar Odom trade.
- The Cleveland Plain-Dealer's Tom Reed praises the Cavs' accumulation of draft picks in the deal, which he believes sets them up well for the future.
Celtics Notes: Ainge, Johnson
The latest news and notes on the Boston Celtics following the trade deadline:
- Celtics president Danny Ainge tells ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg that the team was close to several deals in the minutes leading up to the deadline.
- Ainge also says he was thinking both about the present and the future, as he explored trades that would have helped the Celtics make a playoff run as well as accumulate assets for the future.
- Ainge says that the Celtics need another big man, and they may explore the buyout market for a solution.
- In a separate post, Forsberg wonders whether the Celtics would be interested in Chris Johnson, who was waived by the Blazers earlier today and played briefly for Boston last season.
Hollinger On Deadline Deals
ESPN.com's John Hollinger has posted grades for every trade that took place today. The post is only available to ESPN Insider subscribers, but here are the highlights:
- The Nuggets were smart to shed Nene's contract, even if trading for JaVale McGee is a risk.
- However, Hollinger views the Wizards' acquisition of Nene is an overreaction to McGee's contract demands.
- For the Clippers, Hollinger doesn't believe Nick Young is a perfect solution, but that he's worth the risk since they didn't have to give up any significant assets.
- Hollinger praises the Blazers' rebuilding effort in the Gerald Wallace trade, although he has reservations about the players they got back from Houston for Marcus Camby.
- He doesn't think the Nets made a smart move giving up a lottery pick for short-term help when they risk losing Deron Williams at the end of the season.
- Hollinger likes the Rockets' acquisition of Camby as a short-term pick-up to help them make a playoff run.
- The Warriors' acquisition of Richard Jefferson is counterproductive to their efforts to tank for a draft pick, Hollinger writes. However, he praises the Spurs for shedding Jefferson's contract for Stephen Jackson's shorter one.
- Hollinger questions the Cavaliers for taking on Luke Walton's expensive contract while giving up Ramon Sessions, but loves the deal for the Lakers, as Sessions is a massive upgrade at point guard over Derek Fisher and Steve Blake.
- Hollinger likes the Sam Young acquisition for the 76ers, and while he doesn't believe losing him will shift the Grizzlies' playoff hopes one way or another, he questions whether it was necessary to shed him simply for cap reasons.
- He sees the Leandro Barbosa trade as a low-risk deal for both the Raptors and Pacers, giving Indiana immediate help at shooting guard while freeing up room for other players to get more minutes in Toronto.
Suns Front Office Answers Fan Questions
On Thursday, Phoenix Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby, President of Business Operations Brad Casper, and GM Lance Blanks answered questions from fans on the team's official website. Here are some relevant details regarding the team's future:
- Babby praised the team's analytics-based system for evaluating players, pointing to rookie Markieff Morris as an example of its success
- He believes that the Suns have the cap flexibility and assets to get back into contention in the near future.
- Blanks uses Grant Hill as an example of a free agent choosing to play in Phoenix in answer to a question regarding the city's attractiveness to players.
Rivers Doesn’t Expect O’Neal Back
ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg reports that Celtics coach Doc Rivers does not expect center Jermaine O'Neal to play for the team again this season as he recovers from a wrist injury.
O'Neal's continued absence opens up the possibility of Boston adding another big man through the buyout market, something Rivers hinted at, although he said nothing was imminent.
"Right now there’s no reason to do anything, but if there’s a chance we can get another guy, then we’re going to have make a roster spot," said Rivers, who later added, "There probably will be some [buyout] guys [available]. The buyout follows the trade thing, so then you have to wait and see what you can get. Then we’ll know more."
O'Neal is in the final year of a two-year, $11.9MM contract he signed in the summer of 2010. He is making $6.2MM this season.
Deadline Notes: Warriors, Nets, Mavs
A few notes in the aftermath of the trade deadline:
- Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com believes that the Warriors were willing to take on Richard Jefferson's contract because they don't believe luring a free agent with cap space is a viable option at this point.
- SI.com's Chris Mannix suggests that the Nets could target Kevin Garnett and Ryan Anderson in free agency this summer.
- Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson is happy with the team he has assembled and didn't see the need to make a move, reports Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News.
Recap Of Trade Deadline Deals
Here's the complete list of trades that took place this week leading up to the trade deadline earlier today:
- On Tuesday, the Warriors sent Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh, and Kwame Brown to the Bucks for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson.
- The Warriors then flipped Jackson to the Spurs for Richard Jefferson, T.J. Ford, and a first-round pick on Thursday.
- The Grizzlies traded Sam Young to the 76ers for the rights to former second-round pick Ricky Sanchez.
- The Pacers acquired Leandro Barbosa from the Raptors in exchange for a second-round draft pick and cash considerations.
- The Blazers entered rebuild mode by trading Gerald Wallace to the Nets for Mehmet Okur, Shawne Williams, and a 2012 first-round draft pick with top-3 protection.
- Portland also sent Marcus Camby to the Rockets for Jonny Flynn, Hasheem Thabeet, and a second-round pick.
- The Rockets acquired Derek Fisher from the Lakers as well as the Mavericks' 2012 first-round pick (from the Lamar Odom trade) for Jordan Hill.
- The Lakers also traded for Ramon Sessions, sending Luke Walton, Jason Kapono, and a 2012 first-round pick to the Cavaliers and also receiving Christian Eyenga. The Cavs will also have the ability to swap the Heat's 2013 pick (which they own from the LeBron James sign-and-trade) with the Lakers' pick that year.
- The Nuggets, Wizards, and Clippers agreed to a three-team deal that will send Nene, Brian Cook, and a future second-round draft pick to Washington; Nick Young to the Clippers; and JaVale McGee and Ronny Turiaf to Denver.
Feigen On Rockets’ Deadline Possibilities
The Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen assesses the state of the Rockets as the deadline approaches:
- Head coach Kevin McHale admits that the trade rumors are getting in the heads of players, but notes that it's like that for every team in the league.
- In Feigen's estimation, the Rockets are among the teams aiming to bring in an impact player—if not Dwight Howard, then possibly Gerald Wallace or Omer Asik.
- Unlike last year, when they had Shane Battier as a trade piece, the Rockets don't have any notable expiring contracts outside of Courtney Lee and Goran Dragic.
Bonnell On Possible Bobcats Moves
The Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell posted a breakdown of the options the Bobcats are likely to explore at the deadline:
- The likeliest avenue the Bobcats will go to add a player will be to use the $3.5MM trade exception they got from trading Shaun Livingston to the Bucks, probably packaged with a draft pick.
- Bonnell doesn't believe Boris Diaw has much trade value despite his $9MM expiring contract, due to his lack of on-court production and the lack of teams with the ability to absorb his salary without sending players back.
- Bonnell cautions against moving D.J. Augustin now, arguing that rookie Kemba Walker isn't fully developed yet, and that Augustin could have value in a sign-and-trade as a restricted free agent this summer.
Heat Notes: Wallace, Kaman, Diaw, Randolph
The latest surrounding the Miami Heat in the leadup to the March 15 trade deadline:
- Fox Sports Florida's Chris Tomasson wonders whether the Heat would be wise to pursue Rasheed Wallace. Wallace, who last played in 2010, has hinted at coming out of retirement for a while, and was most recently linked to the Lakers.
- The South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman touches on a handful of potential acquisitions in his mailbag column, most notably Chris Kaman. Winderman doesn't believe the Heat have the assets to pull off a Kaman deal that David Stern would approve, especially in light of the blocked Chris Paul trade to the Lakers in December.
- Winderman thinks the Heat could do worse than to pick up Boris Diaw for the minimum in the event that the Bobcats buy the veteran big man out.
- According to Ben Golliver of Blazers Edge (via Twitter), forward Shavlik Randolph recently worked out with the Heat. Randolph last appeared in the NBA with Miami in 2010, and is currently playing in Puerto Rico.