New Jersey Nets Get: Devin Harris, Gana Diop, Trenton Hassell, Moe Ager, Keith Van Horn, a pair of draft picks and cash
Those two draft picks turned into Ryan Anderson and Jordan Crawford. When this trade went down it was universally agreed upon that this was a horrible trade and that Dallas just threw away their future and had no shot in the present. They just traded away a budding star PG (Devin Harris) and draft picks for a 34 year old ex-All Star who was on the decline. The talk about how horrible this trade was got so bad that Mark Cuban even hired statisticians to make up a stat to show Kidd was more valuable then Harris and that the trade was a success. While I will not come close to saying Kidd has been THE reason the Mavericks are up 2-0 in the series vs. the Lakers, he has been a positive for the Mavs in what looks to be serious post season run.
As Kidd has gotten older he has changed his game, like most greats do, to rely more and more on skill, high basketball IQ, and strength. With Nowitzki's help Kidd has greatly improved his 3 point shooting and went from 3's being his biggest weakness to now shooting over .390 from deep and being 3rd all time in 3 point shots made. As his lateral quickness, and quickness in general, has left, the Mavs have switched Kidd to guarding the opponents' SG instead of quick PGs. Instead of being a defensive liability, he has actually done a great job at defending the likes of Kobe Bryant by using his strength to keep him out of the paint. Of all the people who actually get minutes on the Mavs, Kidd is fourth on the team in defensive rating only behind Chandler, Haywood, and Marion. He is also first on the team in defensive win shares and 3rd in win shares in general.
Devin Harris on the other hand has been a huge disappointment ever since his departure from Dallas. He has missed 42 games in the 4 years since he left, shot a horrible .421, and has been atrocious on defense. He is last on the Jazz in defensive rating and has been over 111 in defensive rating since he left Dallas. To put this in perspective, Steve Nash's career defensive rating is 110 (the higher the number the worse it is). Harris routinely plays matador defense, does not even attempt to stop any opposing pg from driving, puts no pressure on the ball, and doesn't make passes hard by playing the passing lanes. He does absolutely nothing to help out. Him and Al Jefferson on the floor is always fun to watch.
If I were to give this trade a grade now for Dallas it would be a solid B+. Those draft picks would of been helpful for the Dallas's future, but they have to be happy with how long and how much Kidd has been productive. He only adds strengths to Dallas's team as he continues to change his game to hide his weaknesses.. The one thing you have to wonder is how Devin Harris would be playing if he was still on Dallas. He could be the case of someone who just does not try for a team that is losing. Too bad we won't figure for a while if this is true, as Utah's future does not look too bright.
Memphis Grizzlies Get: Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, Marc Gasol and two No. 1 picks
The two picks ultimately ended up being Greivis Vasquez and Darrell Arthur. When this trade went down everybody, including myself, thought it was one of most lopsided trades in NBA history. It looked like Memphis just traded the best player in franchise history for cap room, late draft picks, and a bunch of nobodies. Looking back at the trade now it seems both teams ended up winning. The Lakers finally got someone to pair up with Kobe and they went on to three finals appearances and two rings. Memphis got much needed cap room and a chance to rebuild, as they clearly were going nowhere with Gasol being their number 1.
Most of the time when fans hear the dreaded word 'rebuild' they rightfully think it is just a word to make being horrible sound like it has a future. Memphis actually rebuilt the right way. They built a solid REAL basketball team full of youth and future potential with Mayo, Conley, Gay, Gasol, and Arthur. They brought in the gritty veterans who want and know how to win in Zach Randolph (still funny to think Randolph is in this category), Battier, and Tony Allen. They play the right way as they don't rely on low percentage shots (last in the league in 3 pt attempts), play inside out, and continue to attack the paint as much as possible. Much of this is able to happen because of Marc Gasol quietly becoming a top 5 center in the league while playing both ends of the floor. Zach Randolph has not so quietly become a top 5 power forward as he continues to impress with knowing when to stay aggressive and when to pass. Randolph and Gasol have also combined to be one of the better defending 4/5 combos in the league. If a high school basketball coach wanted his team to try to copy one NBA team's philosophy, I would bet 9 out of 10 would choose the Grizzlies. They probably play the most fundamentally sound basketball in NBA.
If I were to grade this trade now I would give it a A-. None of this would of been possible without doing the trade. Marc Gasol's worth is even bigger than his talent, as finding a true center seems to be almost impossible in this day and age in the NBA. The Grizzlies would not have had enough money to acquire Zach Randolph without this trade going down. They would have had lower picks in '08 and would not have been able to acquire Mayo. They would have not been able to get Darrel Arthur, who has been instrumental this year. The Grizzlies would still be in the lower tier of the NBA with their number one player still not being tough and aggressive enough to take his team to the next level. Destroy and Rebuild is almost always the right strategy when your team is in the dump, it is the execution that is usually fumbled.
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