I went to sleep last night knowing that Bradley Beal had been traded to the Suns, and that Kristaps Porzingis was likely headed to the Celtics in a three-way deal with the Wizards, Clippers, and Celtics. However, I woke up to find out that the trade ended up not going through because Malcolm Brogdon failed his physical. This left the Wizards’ new management in a precarious position, with very little time to complete a deal. This was because Porzingis had to be traded by midnight, or he would opt out of his player option and become a free agent (the Wizards would then lose him for nothing). Instead, the Memphis Grizzlies emerged as the third team, and instead of Malcolm Brogdon, Marcus Smart became the trade guard. With a deal in place to send him to a contender, Porzingis opted into his player option.

The past few days have been kind of crazy, and it’s only about to get crazier. The NBA draft is tonight, rumors have been swirling like crazy, and free agency starts July 1st. Draymond Green, Kyle Kuzma, Bruce Brown, and Khris Middleton have all opted out of their player options and are unrestricted free agents (UFA): will they stay with their respective teams? Does James Harden move to Houston? Will Jaylen Brown still be traded? There’s so many questions, and unfortunately I can’t cover them all here. For now, I’m going to start by breaking down the Porzingis trade and the Beal trade, going over why each team would have made these respective deals. Then, I’ll give my perspective of the situations. Let’s jump right in.

 

Kristaps Porzingis Deal

Washington Wizards

It’s completely understandable why the Wizards made this deal. With Will Dawkins as the team’s new general manager and Michael Winger as the president of Monumental Basketball (including the WNBA Mystics and Capital City Go-Go), the direction they want to go in is clear. The Wizards have been stuck in mediocrity for decades, and they knew it was time to tear it all down. To get as far away from mediocrity as possible, they worked with Bradley Beal to waive his no-trade clause and get him to Phoenix. They likely won’t resign Kuzma, and they traded Porzingis. The reason they traded him when they did was so that they could recoup some value for him. Porzingis would have declined his player option if he wasn’t traded, and left the team in free agency for nothing. So, better for Winger and Dawkins to get some value back, even if it’s not what Porzingis as a player is worth. These two men weren’t given a great situation to work with, and they’re doing the best they can with what they have. The Porzingis trade makes perfect sense from the Wizards side.

Boston Celtics

From the perspective of Brad Stevens, this move makes sense…mostly. If you have the chance to trade for an All-Star like Porzingis, who will provide rim protection, infuse your scoring, and is coming off one of his best seasons yet, then of course you pull the trigger! Getting two first-round picks is also a huge win for the team, so even though this trade came at a cost, it makes sense for the Celtics to have made this move.

Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies were able to upgrade at the guard position by throwing themselves into this deal. They gave up Tyus Jones to the Wizards, yet they received a Defensive Player of the Year in Marcus Smart. Smart proved last year he can be trusted with a team’s offense, and he can hold the ship together until Ja Morant returns. Plus, Smart is a gritty player who makes all the hustle plays that every team needs. Smart builds culture, and he can turn last year’s Grizzlies from somewhat of a laughingstock to the Grit and Grind team they were for most of the 2010s.

My Thoughts

I’m surprised the Celtics parted with Marcus Smart, even if it was for an All-Star like Porzingis. For years the question surrounding the Celtics was who their ball handler would be, that the team needed a true point guard to run their offense. Ultimately, they had that player in-house, and Smart became the player critics stated the Celtics needed in order to win. Smart has only played with the Celtics in his nine year career. He’s helped build the team’s culture, hasn’t been afraid to call guys out, and sacrificed his body for the team. Trading away Brogdon would have been one thing, but getting rid of Smart is something completely different. I think in the end, while the Celtics will be glad to have Porzingis, they might end up regretting this. Owing Brown and Jayson Tatum new contracts in 2024, the Celtics won’t be able to afford Porzingis in a year due to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). That means that the 2023-24 NBA season is the Celtics last year in this window before they have to make some major changes to their roster, or blow it all up. 2024 is either the year the Celtics win that elusive 18th title…or die trying.

 

Bradley Beal Trade

Phoenix Suns

I already explained the Wizards reason for doing this trade above; they’re beginning a rebuild, and that begins with trading Bradley Beal. As for the Phoenix Suns, their reason for doing this trade revolves around their new owner, Matt Ishbia. Ishbia has quickly shown during his first few months as owner that he believes in trading for star players in order to outmatch their opponents. He pulled the trigger on trading for Kevin Durant, and if they were already going to wave Chris Paul, trading him for Beal gave them a lot of value back. Phoenix has a new big three, and DeAndre Ayton will likely be traded later this offseason.

My Thoughts

Why on earth would the Suns make this trade? They already have an All-Star shooting guard in Devin Booker; Beal isn’t needed in addition! One of them is going to have to learn how to play point guard, and neither of them are ball handling Wizards. This isn’t like James Harden and Kyrie Irving, where both we’re talented guards who could handle the ball; Booker and Beal are both clearly shooting guards who score first. This was a dumb move by an owner trying to go all in. If Ishbia had been watching Beal the past few years, then he would no the version of Beal he’s getting isn’t the one who almost led the league in scoring; it’s a slightly more injury prone Beal who’s shooting has dropped from about 40% from three to 35% from three, the league average. Having Isiah Thomas as your lead adviser to run an NBA team is a very bad idea, considering how his time with the Knicks and Raptors went. The team has no depth, and no defense. What happens when one of the big three gets injured again? The Suns are done, they have to pray that a bunch of guys will sign at the veteran minimum to title chase, or they literally won’t have enough guys to field a team. I would give Phoenix a D- if not an F for this move.

 

There’s a lot of potential moves coming later in the day, and the draft as well! Don’t forget to follow the NBA Blog for updates, comment and let me know your thoughts on these trades, and as always, have an awesome day!

 

Picture Credit to:

Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Brandon Dill/AP Photo

Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images