In what has been a summer of marquee names switching teams in a frenzy of free agent signings, the trade front has been relatively quiet as of late. That all changed today when a four-team, five-player trade went down, significantly altering the core make-up of each team involved. Within the trade, Trevor Ariza was sent to New Orleans, and Darren Collison was acquired by the Pacers.We’ve broke down who’s going where, and what it means for each team involved.

New Orleans Hornets:

Acquired: Trevor Ariza
Traded: Darren Collison, James Posey

While it likely wasn’t an easy decision to part with Collison after an impressive rookie campaign that had him legitimately in the ROY talks by the end of the year, you have to give value to get value in return. With Chris Paul healthy again and ready to be the Hornets’ primary playmaker, Collison would return to his back-up role. While it’s always nice to have such a talented replacement at the point, the Hornets could afford to trade for value at a position of greater need with the assumption that Paul would be taking nearly 40 mpg at the point anyway. They certainly did that with the acquisition of Ariza. Paul’s offseason rumblings that he may seek a trade if the Hornets can’t assemble a strong enough supporting cast around him also likely played into the thought process of acquiring Ariza. Ariza is a significant upgrade on the wing for the Hornets on both ends of the floor. Along with his length, ability to play the passing lanes, and an improving offensive repertoire, Ariza also brings championship experience – something sorely lacking on the current Hornets roster. But more than anything, the trade seems to be a clear demonstration that the Hornets management is committed to building a winner around Paul. A wise move, because Paul makes everyone else on your roster’s game easier and gives your team a chance to win on any given night. Without him, the Hornets would be swimming in a sea of mediocrity for years to come.

Indiana Pacers:

Acquired: Darren Collison, James Posey
Traded: Troy Murphy

In Collison, the Pacers not only landed the player with the most upside in the whole trade, but acquired their point guard of the future. Collison received a baptism by fire in New Orleans as he served as a starter for nearly half of the season with Paul out of the lineup – and he didn’t disappoint. It wasn’t uncommon for Collison to score well into the twenties and drop double-digit assist nights as a starter last year. In fact, smacking the Pacers with a triple-double back in January likely didn’t go unforgotten by this Indiana team in search of a floor leader. The point-guard spot has been one of inconsistencies and turmoil for the Pacers over the past few seasons, with the likes of T.J. Ford, Earl Watson, and Jarrett Jack at the helm. Collison will give the Pacers stability in the backcourt for years to come, and he should form an exciting duo alongside Danny Granger. The loss of Murphy certainly hurts the Pacers, as they will have to lean more heavily on players like Tyler Hansbrough and Josh McRoberts at the power forward spot. That certainly doesn’t bode well for their chances at a winning season this year, but they’ll be able to sleep at night knowing that they added a long-term piece to their puzzle in Collison.

New Jersey Nets:

Acquired: Troy Murphy
Traded: Courtney Lee

The Nets weren’t able to land a superstar within free-agency, but they’ve done a good job in adding talented young players while still maintaining cap flexibility for the future. In Murphy, the Nets add a player who is a double-double threat on any given night, can shoot the long ball, and provides the wide-eyed Nets with more veteran experience. Although they used their number-three draft pick to select power-forward Derrick Favors, at just 19 years old he may not be ready for steady minutes just yet. Murphy gives the Nets a viable starting power-forward, giving them the luxury of bringing Favors along slowly. Murphy’s outside shooting touch should also complement the inside game of Brook Lopez, and provide the Nets with a versatile and effective frontcourt next season. The best news for the Nets is that Murphy is in the final year of his contract, allowing the Nets to have around $20 million in cap space next summer.

Houston Rockets:

Acquired: Courtney Lee
Traded: Trevor Ariza

And now for the least sexy part of this trade, the Rockets gave up one of their core starters and premier perimeter defenders in Ariza, only to get Lee in return. Now, Lee is no slouch, but ultimately – he is a serviceable role player in this league. In Houston, he’ll likely serve as the primary backup to Kevin Martin, but could even lose out on minutes to Kyle Lowry at times. In the end, this was a cost-cutting move for the Rockets who had gone well into the luxury tax with the costly signings of Luis Scola, Brad Miller, and Lowry this offseason. With this trade and the departure of Ariza’s contract, the Rockets will save approximately $28 million in committed contract dollars.

The Philadelphia 76ers and Sacramento Kings kicked off what is likely to be an exciting offseason of transactions and free-agent signings with a three-player trade. The trade was a swap of disgruntled players who longed to be elsewhere, as the 76ers traded their starting center Samuel Dalembert to the Kings in exchange for Andres Nocioni and Spencer Hawes.

The acquisition of Dalembert adds some much needed rebounding and shot-blocking to the Kings, who haven’t had a legitimate center since Brad Miller. Dalembert’s ability to block shots should pay some dividends for the Kings as they will be able to find more opportunities to push the ball and get out in transition.  Dalembert also is a nice addition Kings’ steadily improving front line. Along with Carl Landry and Jason Thompson, the Kings now have a compelling and versatile trio of bigs, all with different skill sets – allowing them to tinker a bit to get an edge in their matchups or needs in any given game. While Dalembert has a hefty contract (over $13 mil), he is in his final year, so the Kings aren’t locked in longterm if he doesn’t pan out in their system.

The 76ers get back two serviceable players in Nocioni and Hawes. Nocioni will bring more toughness, experience and veteran experience to the Sixers frontcourt. While he hasn’t been happy in Sacramento, often losing playing time to their younger, developing players, he still might not find his dream role in Philadelphia. Andre Iguodala and Thaddeous Young will both see the court before Nocioni, but he could also see some time backing up Elton Brand at the power-forward spot as well.

In Hawes the Sixers get a young and versatile seven-footer, with a sweet outside shot for a big man. He was also the leading shot-blocker for the Kings last season, so they will get some of the inside presence they lost by trading Dalembert back. Still, Hawes struggles when matching up with stronger players (which is frequently the case), and he has struggled with maintaining consistency. He is a player who still has a great deal of room to develop, and he should play an integral role for the Sixers next season.

While I think that the Kings received the best player this deal, change can be a very healthy thing for any team who has a player who doesn’t want to be there.

Tracy McGrady made an unforgettable debut as a New York Knick tonight. While Kevin Durant would have the last laugh tonight and lead the Thunder to victory, it was McGrady’s poised performance that will leave the Knicks fans with something to talk about around the water cooler this week.  Coming into tonight’s game, McGrady had only appeared in six games this season (none of which he played more than eight minutes) with ten points being his season high. While the Rockets hadn’t considered him physically fit enough to play this season (as he had still been recovering from micro-fracture surgery on his knee), in all likelihood they just didn’t see him fitting into their future plans. McGrady had insisted all along that he was ready to start playing again, and in his first night as a Knick he showed it.

Coach Mike D’Antoni started McGrady with the logic that he would be loose and ready to play immediately following warm-ups. The fans let out a collective cheer the first time McGrady caught the ball on the wing, and he continued to give them reason to cheer throughout the game. While McGrady might have looked a step slower than he was in his prime, he conducted himself as the star he likely believes himself to be. He came out with a swagger, making shifty drives to the hoop, working the pick-and-roll to perfection, and knocking down mid-range jump shots. It was great to see McGrady’s out there catching the ball on the wing with his back to the basket, then turning slightly to assess the defense while palming the ball with his outstretched arm – and then just making consistently sound decisions.

The young Thunder players treated McGrady with the attention that any superstar would demand, often bringing double-teams for added pressure. But McGrady kept the show going. Among his first half highlights were two “and one” layups, a ridiculous three-quarter-court bounce pass to Al Harrington for a layup, a successful bank shot from the top of the key, and a three-pointer from the corner to beat the shot clock. When the buzzer for halftime went off, McGrady had already amassed 19 points and three assists.

The second half was a bit less of a McGrady highlight-reel, but he still had a few moments that helped us remember the old “T-Mac”. In the third quarter he hit a beautiful 20-footer from the right wing and drew the foul with it. He also had an impressive hanging-layup over Nenad Krstic. In the fourth quarter, McGrady spent a substantial amount of time on the bench, but he did come into the game during crunch time and nailed a shot from the top of the key with 1:30 remaining in the fourth to put the Knicks up by six. He’d later make his way to the free-throw line, only to miss both attempts. This turned out to be a major blunder, as the Thunder capitalized on these misses and forced the game into overtime. Fatigue was likely a key culprit to those final misses from the free-throw line, and McGrady let D’Antoni know that he didn’t have enough energy to be a contributor in overtime.

“I didn’t have any legs at all,” said McGrady, “I felt like why go out there and hurt my team when we’re in a position to win. If I feel like I can’t be effective then there is no need for me to be out there.”

Still, the crowd yearned for more McGrady in the overtime period, and it was a bit of a surprise to not see him out there after the stellar game that he had put together. With about two minutes left in overtime, a “We want T-Mac” cheer started buzzing throughout the Garden. With about 30 seconds left, McGrady did get into the game as an inbounder for an out-of-bounds play where he hit Eddie House for a baseline jumper. He immediately returned to the bench following the play.

While the heroics of Durant would eventually seal the win for the Thunder, McGrady’s performance showed everyone that he still has a lot of game left. We all seem to forget that he is only 29 years old, and should be entering the prime of his career had he not been struck with injuries. No matter how you look at it, this performance was an impressive one for a player who hasn’t played since December 23, 2009, and hasn’t even played 46 full minutes this entire season.

Talking about his performance tonight in a seas0n-high 32 minutes of play, McGrady had this to say:

“It really felt good. It will help my confidence moving forward as far as mentally knowing that I can go out there and play a significant amount of minutes. The key is how I’m going to feel tomorrow and then Monday.”

The real judgment of McGrady will be on how healthy he can keep himself throughout the remaining 28 games of the season. If his knees can handle the day-to-day pounding and he can play himself into better playing shape, the Knicks might be inclined to look at McGrady as more than a rental player. Still, that’s a big “if”.

So what’s your take. Is the old T-Mac back, or was tonight just a spirited fluke?

While I haven’t been able to get a close look at all of the recently traded players on the floor with their new teams, I did get to see a few of these notable players in action tonight and pass my first judgment. Of course, any statistician would tell you that the sample-size we’re looking at is too small (as these players have only played one or two games with their respective teams), but for the most part we can see how they will be integrated within their new teams’ lineup.

One of the biggest trades made before the deadline was the swap that brought Antawn Jamison to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs have every expectation that Jamison will develop into the best sidekick that LeBron James has had, and hope that their shared successes this season will help to sway James’ decision to stay in Cleveland after his contract is up. Jamison’s debut performance with the Cavs came tonight against the Bobcats, and it was without question his worst game of the year. He came off the bench for the Cavs, missed every one of his 12 shot attempts, and only got in the books with two free-throws late in the game. While it’s hard for any player to get rolling after they have missed their first several shots, it was probably even more difficult for Jamison as he was also trying to feel his way through the game with a new system and new teammates. Still you could see how Jamison could fit in…if he was any semblance of his Wizards self.

On several occasions Jamison was able to get spot-up threes, a trend that should continue as long as James forces defenses to collapse (read: always). The Cavs also had Jamison in for an early stretch when James was on the bench. Once Jamison gets a bit more comfortable, he will be a fantastic scoring option that can keep the momentum going while James needs a breather.

After the game Jamison said, “It was just one of those nights. It won’t happen again. I promise you that.”

It was a completely different story for the new players on the Bobcats. Tyrus Thomas and Theo Ratliff looked right at home in the Charlotte pinstriped whites. Thomas had a fantastic game for the Bobcats, hustling for rebounds and leaping for blocked shots. It seemed as though whenever Thomas was in the game he was very much in the mix. In just 25 minutes of play, Thomas grabbed 12 rebounds, blocked six shots, and pitched in six points as well. We also saw Larry Brown go with a small lineup involving Thomas, Gerald Wallace and Boris Diaw at the frontcourt spots. The athleticism and tenacity of that group demonstrated that they can give even the best teams fits. Ratliff was also productive in his limited minutes, grabbing five boards and blocking two shots. While the Bobcats can’t expect this kind of production every night from these two, they have to love getting eight blocks from their two new players off of the bench.  They’ll live with that.

How about Josh Howard and Al Thornton? They are already getting settled as g0-to scorers for a Wizards team that has done away with their star players and uprooted their identity. Together they led the charge tonight in a spirited effort, resulting in a win at home against the Denver Nuggets (who were just coming off their big win against the Cavs). Thornton repeatedly took it right at Carmelo Anthony and ended up with a team-high 21 points. Howard also had a highly efficient 20 points on 8-11 shooting. Because the Wizards now find themselves without a marquee scorer, Howard and Thornton will likely continue to be leaned upon heavily to put points on the board for Washington. While both players had been experiencing reduced roles with their previous teams, the trade to Washington will certainly give them a real opportunity to be offensive focal points and put their skills on display.

Marcus Camby’s first appearance in a Blazers uniform left a lot to be desired, but one has to wonder how much of his mediocre play had to do with the overall abysmal performance by Portland tonight. The Celtics dominated nearly the entire game, and Portland was never able to get into a consistent rhythm. I hoped that Camby would come out as a man possessed, swatting any shot that was foolishly attempted in the paint and becoming a human magnet for all shots that didn’t drop. Unfortunately, Camby was more or less a non-factor in the game. While he did start the game, he just seemed to blend in and go about his business quietly. He ended up with a sub-par line of 2 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks (two on Glen Davis) and 5 turnovers. Still, with as bad as the Blazers played tonight, Camby provided them with a legitimate defensive presence in the middle. After making due with Juwan Howard and Jeff Pendergraph holding down the center spot, having Camby on the floor is a real luxury for the Blazers. As he gets comfortable with the team and his role, I think that Camby will develop into a major contributor for this team.

While the Tracy McGrady and Kevin Martin megatrade and just where Amar’e Stoudemire might (not) end up dominated talks about the trading deadline, the Charlotte Bobcats quietly went about their business and made trades that will make their team more dynamic and versatile.

The Bobcats shipped out reserve swingman Flip Murray, the seldomly used Acie Law and a first-round draft pick to Chicago in exchange for the tumultuous Tyrus Thomas. I actually love the idea of Thomas on the Bobcats, if for no other reason that a tandem of Thomas and Gerald Wallace would make for one of the most athletic, defensive -minded frontcourts in the league. Add them alongside Raymond Felton, Stephen Jackson and a healthy Tyson Chandler, and you’ve got a lineup that will wreak havoc in the passing lanes, challenge every shot, and scrap for rebounds and loose balls. Half-court offense could be an issue for this group, but hopefully their defensive efforts could lead to easy fast-break buckets at the other end.

The Bulls on the other hand are happy to get rid of Thomas, as he hasn’t seen eye to eye with coach Vinny del Negro this season and has often been a distraction for the team. Thomas didn’t take well to his prolonged role as a reserve, and he hasn’t shown that he can perform consistently off the bench. Still, he will get tutelage under one of the most decorated coaches in all of basketball in Larry Brown. At risk of being cliche, I will point out that Brown was Allen Iverson’s dream coach and Jackson also appears to be happy on the Bobcats, so dealing with difficult personalities is one of Browns specialties. If he can tap into Thomas’ full potential, the ‘Cats certainly took their talent level up a notch with this trade.

The acquisition of Murray is a welcome one in Chicago on the heels of trading away John Salmons. Murray will be looked to to provide a scoring punch off the bench, in a nearly identical role as to what Salmons was called upon to do. Law will likely continue his undesireable trend of being buried on the bench behind more dynamic point guards, as he won’t see much run behind Derrick Rose and Kirk Hinrich at the point.

The Bobcats also pulled the trigger on a minor deal with San Antonio which had them sending a protected second-round draft pick in 2016 (I couldn’t make this stuff up) in exchange for Theo Ratliff. Ratliff will provide the Bobcats with another big body for the inevitable games that Chandler (foot, ankle, etc.) and Nazr Mohammed (back) will miss due to injury.

While last night we came to learn that an agreement between the Rockets and Kings would send Kevin Martin to Houston in a deal involving Tracy McGrady. Less than a day later, the New York Knicks decided that they wanted in on the action, and added a significant dimension to this trade. The deal now looks like this:

Houston Receives:
Kevin Martin, Hilton Armstrong, Jordan Hill, Jared Jeffries, the right to swap first-round picks with New York in 2011, and New York’s 2012 first-round pick.

Sacramento Receives:
Carl Landry, Larry Hughes and Joey Dorsey

New York Receives:
Tracy McGrady and Sergio Rodriguez

This trade actually works out well for all parties involved. Aside from adding an explosive scorer in Kevin Martin, the Rockets get additional depth and much-needed help in the frontcourt. We might look back one day and find that Jordan Hill was a steal in this trade, as he was a heralded lottery pick that just didn’t seem to fit in the Knicks’ up-tempo system. While it will be tough to fill Carl Landry’s shoes, Hill will have a true shot at being a contributor on this small Yao-less squad. While they had to take on Jared Jeffries’ horrific contract, they did get two picks from the Knicks that could help them add young talent to the roster.This was a team that needed a boost, and this trade does that and more for them. I’m still concerned about Martin’s defense, but once Yao returns (next year) this team could be downright scary.

Sacramento fans get rid of Martin’s hefty contract (3 years/$36 mil), add toughness  in Landry, and get a substantial expiring contract in Larry Hughes. This will free up some significant cap space for the Kings and allow them to add a solid veteran player to go alongside their young and talented core.

New York came away as a big winner in this trade as well. While they get Tracy McGrady, who in all likelihood won’t be the go-to player that we remember from way back when, they get to run him for a few months and see what he has left in the tank. But really, it’s less about T-Mac and more about his expiring contract and what that entails. When McGrady’s contract comes off of the books, the Knicks will be roughly $30 million under the salary cap. This means that they will be able to make a major push at LeBron James and potentially another big name free agent (aka, whoever LeBron wants to play with). This definitely adds some drama and intrigue to the anticipation of James’ big summer decision coming up. I think if the price is right, and the Knicks can get another legitimate star to commit to signing in New York as well, the bright lights of the Big Apple, the endorsement possibilities, and the allure of playing in Madison Square Garden could be too much to turn down.

Which re-vamped squad are you looking forward to watching the most?

The Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls have agreed in principle to a deal that will make John Salmons a Milwaukee Buck by the end of the week. Specifics regarding which players the Bucks will be sending to Chicago are still fuzzy, as packages of Francisco Elson and Kurt Thomas, or Joe Alexander and Hakim Warrick have been reported. Either way the Bucks will be taking on Salmons and his $5.8 million salary for next season, and giving up expiring contracts for Chicago to make a big push at the hometown hero Dwyane Wade or LeBron James (good luck with that…).

This trade helps out Milwaukee immediately, which is extremely important given that they are only two games out of the eighth seed in the East right now. While Carlos Delfino has performed admirably on the Bucks’ perimeter in the absence of Michael Redd, the Bucks could use a more seasoned vet like Salmons who should fit in nicely with coach Scott Skiles’ defensive mindset. Being the versatile and athletic player he is, Salmons will also provide an additional scoring punch for the Bucks. While his scoring numbers are down this season, he demonstrated the ability to put up numbers when called upon last year averaging of 18 ppg.

Do you think the addition of Salmons is enough for the bucks to steal the 8th spot from the Charlotte Bobcats? My gut says no, but the addition couldn’t hurt.

Update: the players included in this trade from the Bucks were Joe Alexander and Hakim Warrick.

Since LeBron James was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, they have been in search of a perfect sidekick. Despite always being a threat in the East, Larry Hughes, Luke Jackson and Wally Szczerbiak could never provide the ideal complement to James’ game. The additions of Mo Williams and Shaquille O’Neal have bolstered James’ supporting cast, but he’s never had another forward that could be a reliable scorer and truly keep defenses honest.  They’ve needed another wing player who is both capable of scoring in one-on-one situations, but also be be a consistent outside shooter that James can kick to when defenses collapse. A three team trade involving Cleveland, Washington and the Los Angeles Clippers may have landed the Cavs the player they’ve been waiting for.

The Cavaliers came away with the crown jewel of this trade in Antawn Jamison, who is averaging 20.5 ppg and nearly 9 rpg this season. He is also a legitimate outside shooting threat at 35% from behind the arc. James has to be ecstatic about the arrival of Jamison, whose presence on the court should only stretch defenses and make things easier for himself. To bring Jamison to Cleveland, they had to trade franchise cornerstone Zydrunas Ilgauskas  and a first round pick. There are also rumblings that Ilgauskas will seek a buyout with the Wizards, which means he potentially could return to the Cavs (after 30 days). The Cavs also didn’t have to give up their up-and-coming forward, J.J. Hickson, who had been rumored to be part of any deal involving Phoenix’s Amare Stoudemire, so this is a big win for the Cavs and their fans.

While it won’t make much difference on the court, the Cavs also took on the contract of Los Angeles’ Sebastian Telfair as part of the deal. While he likely won’t see significant time behind Mo Williams, Delonte West and Daniel Gibson, we can all reminisce about the reuniting of these high-school phenoms whose career progressions have been remarkably different.

The Wizards sent the recently acquired Drew Gooden to the Clippers as part of the deal, and received Al Thornton from Los Angeles. Along with Ilgauskas (and his $11.5 million expiring contract), the Cavs also provided the Wizards with a 2010 first-round draft pick and the rights to Emir Preldzic. Both the Clippers and the Wizards gain more salary cap flexibility to go after big name free agents this summer…and it is fair to say that both squads have given up on trying to be competitive this year.

Amidst the All-Star action going on tonight, the Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks were wheeling and dealing. The result of their efforts was a power-shifting seven-player trade. The Wizards have agreed to send Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson to the Mavericks in exchange for Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, Quinton Ross and James Singleton.

This trade should improve the Mavericks substantially, as both Butler and Haywood should prove to be upgrades over  Howard and Gooden. While Howard has been a key component of the Mavs’ core over the years, his ankle troubles have limited his effectiveness and forced him to miss a substantial amount of games. However, in my mind, Butler is simply the better all-around player. He will give the Mavs yet another versatile, high-octane wing player that will more than fill the void left by Howard. It will be interesting to see how he fits into the Dallas lineup, but he could potentially start alongside Shawn Marion on the wings to give the Mavericks a tall and tenacious duo capable of shutting down opposing scorers. If nothing else, the Mavs will have one of the best sixth-men in the league if they have to bring Butler or Marion off the bench.

Haywood is certainly more than a throw-in for the Mavericks, and should also help bolster their front line in a conference that ebbs and flows on the shoulders of dominant big men. If the Mavericks hope to compete with the likes of the Lakers and Spurs down the playoff stretch, they will need as many big bodies as possible. The addition of Haywood came at the right time for Dallas, as the aging Erick Dampier has missed several games due to knee issues and other ailments. At 30-years-old, Haywood is at the prime of his career, and is averaging more rebounds this season (10.4 rpg) than at any other point in his career.

Washington certainly didn’t get better in the short-term, but there was meaning to their madness. At first glance, the trade seemed like an act of lunacy from the Wizards’ brass. But, as many trades are these days, this was a financial move for Washington that could pay big dividends for them in the future. The first thing to consider is that at 17-33 this season, with Gilbert Arenas suspended for the year, and no signs of improvement in sight – this season is a wash for them. The acquisition of Howard gives them a serviceable replacement for Butler this season, but more importantly gives them what amounts to a major expiring contract. Next year is a team-option year for Howard, but the Wizards are unlikely to pick up his contract given that he’s due more than $11 million next season. Additionally, they get rid of the seldom-utilized DeShawn Stevenson who will be overpaid next year with a $4.1 million player option. This will give Washington some luxury-tax relief and put them in a position to rebuild their fledgling franchise through the coveted 2010 free-agent market. It’s not a sexy trade for the Wizards, but it just might help them out in the long run.

Gooden will also get some serious run in Washington, who is now glaringly undersized up front. They now have no true centers, and will rely on a collection of marginal power forwards to man the middle. They’ll need to get more consistent play from Andray Blatche as well, who should see a significant boost in playing time given Haywood’s departure.

Who do you think got the best end of today’s big deal? Will the Wizards’ salary-savvy moves be worth the drop in talent? Let me know what you think.