The first trade of the week sent Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Golden State Warriors for Stephen Jackson and Andrew Bogut. This move broke up the Stephen Curry/Monta Ellis hellacious backcourt, but brings the talented yet injury prone Andrew Bogut to Oakland. If Bogut can remain healthy, a Curry to Bogut connection would be something the Warriors could build on.
The Bucks were able to get rid of Stephen Jackson, someone who had never fit into the Milwaukee system. Where this trade seems odd to me is the pairing of Ellis and Brandon Jennings. Both guards demand the ball and score tons of points. However, if they can develop a post presence to grab the misses Jennings and Ellis throw up the Bucks could have some strong potential.
Milwaukee hopes Ellis can lead them back to the playoffs.
The Warriors, however, did not hold on to Jackson long. They traded Jackson to San Antonio for Richard Jefferson and the Spurs' 2012 first-round pick. The draft pick is probably a more valuable asset for the rebuilding Warriors, but Jefferson is going to cost them a few extra dollars. San Antonio, on the other hand, saves some money and Greg Popovich reunites with Jackson. If Jackson can mesh with Pop and the team, the Spurs -- as much as I hate to admit it -- are going to be serious title contenders.
The last time Tim Duncan and Jackson were on the same team, they won a championship.
The Lakers finally adressed their point guard needs by trading for Ramon Sessions. Los Angeles sent Cleveland benchwarmers Luke Walton and Jason Kapono, the Laker's 2012 draft pick and the rights to swap the Heat's 2013 pick (currently in the Cavalier's possession) with LA. Sessions played valuable minutes in his first game with the Lakers and should be able to give Kobe Bryant the boost he needed. As a Laker-hater, this trade baffles me. The Cavs got next to nothing for an extraordinary back up point guard who only had two years on his contract and the Cavs did not have to pay him a lot (about $4.3 million a year). The Lakers get a steal to replace the worn-out Derek Fisher and can sit inconsistent Steve Blake on the bench.
The Portland Trail Blazers demolished their foundation and are in the rebuilding process. Portland traded aging starters Marcus Camby to the Rockets and Gerald Wallace to the Nets. They received Mehmet Okur, Shawne Williams and a first round pick from the Nets and Johnny Flynn, Hasheem Thabeet and a second round pick from the Rockets. Portland finally waived Greg Oden after the first round pick struggled through years of injury and no productivity. The Blazers look to rework their team around all-star LaMarcus Aldridge.
The Wizards got rid of their not-top-ten highlight machine in JaVale McGee and Nick Young. Washington acquired Nene from the Nuggets, and they hope to give John Wall a weapon on the inside. I'm not sure this was the best move for the Wizards. While McGee and Young were problematic, McGee is long and athletic and could have been a future contributor. If the Wizards could have gotten a better draft pick (they only obtained a future pick of an unspecified round), this trade could have made a more significant impact on the future of the Wizard organization.
The Nuggets, who traded for McGee, are looking to build a younger team, and they are doing that by swapping Nene for McGee. The Clippers traded a backup forward to Washington for Young. The Clips are trying to find a perimeter scorer to replace the injured Chauncey Billups, and Young may be the perfect fit.
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