At the trade deadline the Washington Wizards were looking to trade current assets away for future capital.
The Wizards one of the busiest teams at the deadline and they moved on from center Daniel Gafford, sending him to the Dallas Mavericks.
In return for Gafford, Washington received center Richaun Holmes and a 2024 first round draft pick from the Mavericks.
The first round draft pick will either be via the Oklahoma City Thunder second least favorable pick of their three picks.
Out of the three Thunder first round pick the one from the Utah Jazz currently projects as the second best and looks to be a late lottery pick.
Let's see how these trades graded out.
Wizards: Acquired Richaun Holmes, First Round Draft Pick Via Oklahoma City Thunder
Grade: B
Anytime a franchise is in a rebuild they want to aquire draft capital.
As valuable and Gafford was to the Wizards he didn't make a difference in the long term picture for the team.
Getting a first round pick is great and adding Holmes for depth was key too because without Gafford the depth at center was completely gone.
The reason, even though they got a great draft pick, that the grade is a B instead of an A is because of Holmes contract.
Owing 12 million dollars to a guy, including a player option worth almost 13 million next year, that is nothing more then a roster filler is tough to swallow.
Eating contracts like this is key in rebuilds especially to get good draft picks back.
Mavericks: Acquired Daniel Gafford
Grade: A+
Dallas is on a completely different trajectory and dumping a salary like Holmes and a almost useless draft pick to them to get a guy that could anchor their defense down low is a huge move for them.
This move made waves in the Western Conference playoff picture and possibly pushes the Mavericks to the next tier of championship contenders.
Washington fans know how impactful Gafford can be on a losing team, so there is little doubt he can make a huge impact in the playoffs.
It is a great move for Dallas as they are chasing a championship now and this gets them that much closer.
Final Thoughts
There isn't a winner in this trade because both teams positions are completely different and they both hit on needs they needed.
Wizards fan should also be excited for Gafford and getting to watch him in the playoffs later this year.
Rarely do we see win-win trades in the NBA but this may just be one of them.
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