While many projected this offseason to be quieter than most, the first few days of the free agency put those thoughts to bed. Whether it be massive contract extensions, new signings, blockbuster trades, or even trade requests, the 2022 NBA offseason has been anything but quiet. With the offseason period underway, let’s take a look at the biggest offseason trades and evaluate them for all parties involved.
Dejounte Murray forms a star backcourt in Atlanta
Trade details:
Hawks receive: Dejounte Murray, Jock Landale
Spurs receive: Danilo Gallinari, 2023 FRP (protected), 2025 FRP, 2026 pick swap, 2027 FRP
Atlanta Hawks grade: B+
In adding all-star guard DeJounte Murray, the Hawks have finally paired Trae Young with a viable secondary creator. In their disappointing first round loss to Miami, Atlanta’s lack of creation from anyone not named Young led to their demise. It allowed the swarming Heat defense to double team Young without any severe consequences, causing a poor performance from the young guard.
With Murray in the mix, teams like the Heat will have to pay if they double up on Young. Murray has the ball skills to attack the openings that Young creates, and takes plenty of pressure off Young, whose ball dominance ranks near the top of the league year after year.
Perhaps more importantly, Murray’s presence complements Young’s notoriously bad defense. Murray, a pesky and lengthy perimeter matchup, provides the Hawks with a solid point-of-attack weapon to hide Young’s flaws on that end.
With that said, the idea of two ball-dominant guards in the same backcourt raises some question marks. Murray will keep the offense above water in the non-Young minutes, but he’ll be relegated to a smaller role when he shares the court with his co-star. As someone who controlled so much of the Spurs’ offense in 2022 and showed little hints of a strong off-ball game, such a transition from on-ball star to secondary creator will likely incur some growing pains for Murray.
There’s a lot to like about this deal for Atlanta. They added a co-star to maximize their centerpiece’s prime years, something that many front offices fail to do. There were better trade targets in regards to fit, but Murray’s two-way skillset puts Atlanta in a win-now mode at the perfect time.
San Antonio Spurs grade: A
By trading Murray, the Spurs essentially committed to a tank. It’s unlike the franchise to be anywhere but title contention, and some have criticized the Spurs for giving up on their star too early.
But the reality is that Murray, who turns 26 in September, will likely never have higher trade value. If there was a time to trade him, now was San Antonio’s best shot.
Keeping Murray would guarantee the Spurs a decent floor to stay clear of the league’s cellar, but he offers no such championship ceiling as a team’s best player.
In other words, continuing with Murray as the franchise cornerstone is a move that lacks direction for the Spurs. They wouldn’t have the starpower to fully commit to championship contention, nor would they have the assets to commit to the future.
The Spurs made the right choice in realizing their limits with Murray leading the way. Dealing him for 3 first round picks is a reasonable return that sets themselves up for a promising rebuild.
Rudy Gobert Arrives in Minnesota
Trade details:
Timberwolves receive: Rudy Gobert
Jazz receive: Malik Beasley. Patrick Beverley, Leandro Bolmaro, Walker Kessler, Jarred Vanderbilt, 2023 FRP, 2025 FRP, 2026 pick swap, 2027 FRP, 2029 FRP (protected)
Minnesota Timberwolves grade: B+
After capturing their second playoff appearance since 2005, the Minnesota Timberwolves made a full commitment to win now, trading for defensive anchor Rudy Gobert. Gobert, 30, is still amidst his generational defensive prime, and adds much-needed rim protection to a team that allowed the 7th-worst shooting efficiency inside six feet in 2022.
Gobert has his flaws on offense, but his new environment won’t demand much from him on that end anyway. The Timberwolves already have sufficient offensive firepower from the likes of Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Of all the winners in this trade, few are more notable than Towns. The former center will presumably take over at power forward next year, and will have a brick wall in Gobert to cover for his defensive lapses.
Many have criticized Minnesota for giving up too many picks in this deal, which is a fair critique on the surface. The deal puts Minnesota in a win-or-bust situation. There’s little room for error as the championship window is now.
Yet, for a team like the Timberwolves, such picks are unlikely to turn into future stars, or even valuable championship-caliber pieces. If they didn’t pull the trigger on the Gobert trade, their ceiling for the upcoming years would likely plateau in the second round of the playoffs. Barring an unexpected rebuild, they’d be picking from the back end of the draft rather than the lottery.
Thus, surrendering those presumably lower-level picks for a chance to maximize the championship window makes perfect sense. Naturally, there’s still some questions with the fit, and the paying price for Gobert makes this an incredibly risky move. But the Timberwolves have a new trio that looks great on paper and is ready to win now.
Utah Jazz grade: B+
The Utah Jazz hauled in a massive return for Gobert in this deal. Few players demand a return over four first-round picks, so getting a five-pick haul for the big man is impressive.
However, the deal puts Utah in an uncertain spot. With plenty of draft assets and one star (Donovan Mitchell), they’ll likely look to retool in the coming years. It’s perfectly possible for that retool to finally take Utah over the hump, but only if they play their cards right moving forward.
If anything, it’s too early to give Utah a grade on this deal. Whether or not they win this deal depends largely on how they manage their new draft picks. If they can flip assets for a young co-star to grow alongside Mitchell, the trade will be a win. If not, Utah should teeter on the brink of contention once again, failing to make the championship leap.
There’s also the question of whether Utah even picked the right player to build around. In a vacuum, Gobert has a strong argument of being the more valuable player than Donovan Mitchell. After all, Gobert was the only thing keeping the Jazz defense afloat over these last few years. Trading him likely makes them a bottom-tier defense, even with the acquisitions of Patrick Beverley and Jarred Vanderbilt.
But given the circumstances of their recent playoff failures, it’s clear that Utah needed a change of direction. This trade granted that change in one of the best ways possible by getting back a huge package that made the most of Gobert’s value. That alone gives them potential to turn this into a masterful retool.
Malcolm Brogdon Bolsters the Celtics
Trade details:
Celtics receive: Malcolm Brogdon
Pacers receive: Aaron Nesmith, Daniel Theis, Nik Stauskas, Malik Fitts, Juwan Morgan, 2023 FRP
Boston Celtics grade: A
This was a dream deal for the Celtics. After reaching the NBA Finals in 2022, the Celtics got even better by trading for Malcolm Brogdon, a move that may catapult them over the healthy Bucks as the favorites to come out of the east.
Brogdon’s versatility as a combo guard gives the Celtics a wide range of options in how to utilize him. He can initiate offense to create better looks for the likes of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, a duo who lacked a traditional floor general last season.
Brogdon also adds value as a support piece in the role that Derrick White played last season. He showed plenty of off-ball prowess during his tenure in Milwaukee, and can work as a connective piece with his extra passing and handle to attack openings.
Even better, Boston kept the entirety of their core rotation. In the grand scheme of things, one first round pick and a few bench players is nothing compared to a win-now piece like Brogdon, even with his injury concerns.
Indiana Pacers grade: C+
After shipping off Domantas Sabonis last year, it’s clear that the Pacers were heading towards a rebuild. Thus, it makes perfect sense to trade the 29-year old Brogdon for future assets.
However, the assets weren’t anything to write home about. Aaron Nesmith’s calling card as he entered the league was his outside shooting, yet he’s made just 31.8% of his triples in his career. A first round pick isn’t a bad return, but it will likely fall near the end of the round as long as Boston meets their expectations for next year.
Indiana made the right choice by trading Brogdon while he still had decent value. But the return leaves something to be desired for a player of his caliber.
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