NBA - Grading five of the biggest offseason trades

Aug 2

By: Will Aimette

With the NBA Summer League starting, and shocking trades and signings from Philly to Miami, many superstars are on the move. But did teams actually benefit from these deals? I’ll tell you:

Heat acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo from Bucks

Bucks receive: Tyler Herro, Jaime Jacquez Jr, Kasparas Jakuciones, Ka’lel Ware, 2026 1st Round Pick, 2030 Pick Swap, 2031 1st Round Pick, 2033 1st Round Pick

Heat receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis

Bucks: B

They could’ve gotten a better deal sending Giannis off to a bigger market team like the Lakers or Knicks, but they went with the safer route and took young talent and future picks. But Giannis needed to leave, he was stuck on a team that had no shot at the title. The only problem I have with this trade is it feels like the Bucks are just taking a bunch of decent starters and picks thrown at them. When you actually step back and look at the guys they got, sure, Tyler Herro will be good for the next few years, but no one else really will. Jaime Jacquez is the definition of a role player, and Jakuciones, the 20th pick in the 2025 draft, has shown flashes of promise but needs time to develop. With the 2026 first-rounder, the Bucks selected Nate Ament, a talented guard out of Tennessee, who will similarly need to adjust to play at the NBA level. So, while the Bucks did acquire talent, the deal feels improvised and too rash.

Heat: C-

I’m not sure if the Heat should have gone all-in on a title chase. They were stuck between winning in the future and winning now, and they clearly chose the second option. But that just makes me further confused about the Jimmy Butler trade, as they got young talent to rebuild from the Warriors. I just don’t think Bam Adebayo and Giannis are good enough to win alone. They really needed Lebron (or any decent guard, for that matter) to make this work, and that didn’t happen, so this trade pretty much threw their future out the window for the slight chance of winning a title.

Clippers trade kawhi back to toronto

Clippers receive: Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, 2027 1st Round Pick Swap, 2030 2nd Round Pick, 2031 1st Round Pick, 2033 1st Round Pick, 2033 2nd Round Pick

Raptors receive: Kawhi Leonard

Clippers: A

The James Harden, Chris Paul, and Kawhi Leonard era is officially gone in LA, a franchise left with no recent titles and a boring future. But this trade just turned the future around. So there’s no other grade I could possibly give them but an A. They got so much talent for an old Kawhi, I’ll never understand why the Raptors would think they could win this trade (but more on that later). Brandon Ingram, a two-time all-star, has been averaging 22 pts, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists per game in his last two years. He’s 28, in the prime of his career, and he nearly makes up for the loss of Kawhi alone. Ingram will become beloved in Los Angeles, he’ll be their star for the next few years. And don’t forget about the picks. The Raptors gave them a TON of picks. This means the Clippers are finally rebuilding, after selecting Keaton Wagler with the fifth overall pick in the draft. Letting Wagler develop under veterans Darius Garland and Brandon Ingram, he’ll become the Clippers’ main man in just a couple years. And by then? They’ll have a fresh, young, superteam, as this was the trade LA needed to steer their franchise in the right direction.

Raptors: C+

Don’t get me wrong. Kawhi is a great player, probably top ten in the NBA right now. But I don’t get where the Raptors were going with this. Sure, they were a borderline playoff team before, but I don’t think they actually improved that much with this deal. And that's simply because they replaced their leading scorer for a slightly better (and slightly older) leading scorer in Kawhi. See, the problem with the Raptors is that they are one of the border teams. And what I mean by that is they can’t decide if they want to win now (by trading away younger players and picks for veterans), or win later (by doing the exact opposite). The Raptors chose to try and win now, but I’m afraid that just like the Heat, they haven’t quite done enough. Scottie Barnes and Kawhi will be great together, and I’m sure RJ Barrett will step up too, but I don’t think they have a fighting chance against teams like the Celtics, Knicks, 76ers, or even the Cavs. So they kind of threw away their future to get only a little better, and also to gain some Kawhi magic from 2019. But I don’t think they’ll get the same result.

(Note: This trade is the only one on this list that hasn’t yet been processed by the league, but both teams have agreed, and as long as these players pass their physicals, the trade will be completed)

Celtics trade Jaylen Brown to rival 76ers

Celtics receive: Paul George, 2028 1st Round Pick, 2028 2nd Round Pick, 2030 2nd Round Pick, 2031 1st Round Pick

76ers receive: Jaylen Brown

Celtics: B-

I truly believe the Celtics had the pieces to win an NBA title. So why did they trade Jaylen Brown away? There was a lot of doubt surrounding the team leadership conversation between Brown and Jason Tatum, and a lot of doubt regarding his health, too. And that one word, doubt, sums up Jaylen Brown as a whole. He’s great when he plays smart and is consistent. He also has some off-the-court issues (read note below). So when they traded Brown away, although I think the Celtics could’ve won another title with him, I wasn’t surprised. What I was surprised about is what they acquired in exchange for him. Paul George will fill Brown’s spot, and while I do still think they’re a quality playoff team, they got a lot worse. Sure, maybe they’ll have a better future, but I guarantee you, in a few years we’ll all be asking ourselves what would’ve happened if Jaylen Brown stayed on the Celtics for a few more years.

76ers: A+

They lost Paul George and a couple picks. So what? They got a top-five player in the NBA! Who cares about the doubt and the off-the-court stuff? This is an NBA superteam, the final missing role filled out by none other than… Lebron James! Yeah, the greatest player of all time is joining a team filled with Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, and VJ Edgecombe. So, I really don’t think the 76ers could care less about Paul George. I certainly wouldn’t. Unlike the Heat and Raptors, their win-now style team is actually able to, well, win now. The one thing that could stop them? Injuries. Embiid, Brown, and Maxey all have incredibly long injury histories, but if they manage to stay healthy for one or two seasons, I guarantee you the 76ers will go places.

(Note: These off-the-court issues for Brown stem from his postgame streaming, when he criticized Embiid and the 76ers for flopping, and the refs for falling for it. After he was eliminated by the 76ers last year, according to ESPN, he claimed, “[Embiid] flops. He know it. This ain’t breaking news”. It’s safe to say it should be fun to watch him explain those comments to his now-teammates)

Hornets trade Lamelo Ball to Timberwolves

Timberwolves receive: LaMelo Ball

Hornets receive: Rob Dillingham, Donte DiVincenzo, 2027 1st Round Pick, 2029 1st Round Pick, 2030 1st Round Pick Swap

Timberwolves: b+

Giving up depth and future picks is always tough, but Minnesota’s core is ready to contend right now. With Rudy Gobert anchoring the paint and Jaden McDaniels locking down the perimeter, LaMelo won't be exposed on defense nearly as much as he was in Charlotte. Pairing Anthony Edwards with LaMelo Ball gives Minnesota what might be the most fast-paced, entertaining backcourt in the NBA. Edwards thrives as a pure, dominant scorer who can attack the rim and hit tough shots, but he’s often had to shoulder too much of the playmaking load. Enter LaMelo: one of the most creative, high-octane passers and transition playmakers in the league. While they did give up a good amount of future (and some current) talent, I think this trade ultimately made the Wolves much better

Hornets: B+

Finally, LaMelo, the Hornets’ dictator, is gone. And Charlotte finally decided to pivot around Brandon Miller and their new wave of young talent, a choice that needed to be made years ago. In return, they grab a high-upside young guard in Rob Dillingham, who was hyped up as a generational player but hasn’t lived up to those expectations. I think he still can be transformed, as he might find his rhythm in Charlotte. They also grabbed a few first-rounders in the near future, and a solid perimeter guard in Donte DiVincenzo to pair with breakout star Kon Knueppel. So overall, it made the Hornets better, but again, they should’ve rebuilt years ago.

Grizzlies trade Ja Morant to Blazers

Blazers receive: Ja Morant

Grizzlies receive: Scoot Henderson, Anfernee Simons, 2027 1st Round Pick, 2029 1st Round Pick, 2030 1st Round Pick Swap

Blazers: B-

This is a statement move for Portland. While the Blazers have been accumulating talent, they’ve lacked a true top-tier megastar to push them into serious Western Conference contention. Bringing in Ja Morant changes that instantly. Morant is one of the most explosive, dynamic paint-touch guards in the NBA, and put alongside Shaedon Sharpe, the Blazers might now boast the single most athletic highlight-reel backcourt in the league. With Donovan Clingan holding down the paint defensively and Deni Avdija facilitating, Ja doesn't have to carry the roster on his own—he just gets to do what he does best: dominate downhill. The problem is, they still aren’t as good as other teams in the West, and aren’t really competitive for a title. It just feels like Portland was building a good young core, and they had top-tier picks coming in the next few years; I don’t fully understand why they gave up on their young core, especially a talent like Scoot Henderson.

Grizzlies: A-

It’s always tough to hit the reset button on a player who defined an entire era of your franchise, but Memphis pulled the trigger at the exact right time. Ja Morant’s brilliance on the floor was undeniable, but the constant off-court noise and recurring injuries meant the ceiling on this current build was closing fast. Getting out ahead of a potential mess and pulling in a massive haul of young talent is a great option, especially when you have a solid young core. Scoot Henderson finally gets a fresh change of scenery where he isn't forced to live in any star's shadow, giving Memphis an explosive primary playmaker to grow into an NBA Superstar. Even though I think the Grizzlies could’ve gotten a better deal, they still traded away one of their biggest problems for a brighter future.

Will Aimette