NBA Trade Deadline: Grading And Explaining The Significant Deals

Dec 23, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard

(1) against Dallas Mavericks guard

(9) at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Mavericks 124-115. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Heat get: Goran Dragic, Zoran Dragic

Grade: A

Suns get: Justin Hamilton, Danny Granger, two future first-round picks, John Salmons

Grade: B

Pelicans: Shawne Williams, Norris Cole

Grade: C

Despite circumstances, the Phoenix Suns definitely made lemonade out of lemons just before the NBA trade deadline. When Goran Dragic decided that his time in Phoenix was up and demanded a trade, things looked bleak for the Suns. Although, swiping two future first-round picks away from the Miami Heat is probably not that bad of a trade, despite having to take on Danny Granger‘s contract.

And the Suns weren’t done dealing there, but we’ll address that later.

For the Heat, the deal was a no-brainer, and Pat Riley is still the king of taking advantage of teams with disgruntled stars. Miami upgraded their weakest position on their roster, while adding another all-star caliber player. In today’s NBA, that’s huge.

The biggest thing for the Heat, though, was the fact that they managed to snag Dragic without trading Hassan Whiteside, who actually wasn’t even trade eligible, and Luol Deng. Pretty much a steal in the eyes of Riley, who doesn’t value draft picks as does the rest of the league.

New Orleans helped out by taking Norris Cole for the remainder of the season. They’ll likely buyout Shawne Williams.

Trade Winner: While it’s unknown what the Suns are going to turn those future picks into, the winner of this trade for the moment has to be the Heat. They got a elite point guard by keeping the core of their team intact.

Next: Thunder stocking up for playoffs