2015 NBA Draft Trade Recap

There were a lot of rumors about possible trades going down on draft day, and like each year, there were some big moves made before the night ended (though not as many as anticipated). Here is a list of all the trades that were made during the 2015 NBA draft.

Milwaukee Bucks: Grievis Vasquez

Toronto Raptors:  2017 first-round pick (via Los Angeles Clippers) and 46th overall pick Normal Powell

Analysis: Acquiring Vasquez is a surprising move for the Milwaukee Bucks considering they already have Michael Carter-Williams, Jerryd Bayless and Tyler Ennis on the roster. It is especially surprising considering that Vasquez eats up $6.5 million in cap space before the Bucks enter free agency. With a loaded backcourt, the Bucks are likely to make some more moves to relieve the logjam they suddenly have.

Vasquez is a versatile and underrated guard. He has the size to play both guard positions, which makes him a nice fit next to Carter-Williams. He averaged  9.5 points and 3.7 assists last season, while hitting 38 percent of his shots from beyond-the-arc. Vasquez, age 28, led the league in assists in 2013, and gives the young Bucks some veteran experience.

For the Raptors, they unload a player who gave signals he wanted a change in scenery, and acquire a future first-round draft pick, and a solid guard in Powell who is a solid defender and may become a nice backup in the future. He played four seasons at UCLA and made the All-Pac-12 team last season.

Washington Wizards: Acquired the 15th pick from the Atlanta Hawks and selected Kelly Oubre.

Atlanta Hawks: Traded down for the 19th pick (Jerian Grant) along with two future second-round picks.

Analysis: The Washington Wizards gave two future second-round picks to move up a few spots and select Kelly Oubre out of Kansas. Oubre was a five-star recruit entering college, but didn’t really live up to expectations in his one season at Kansas., averaging 9.3 points, five rebounds and 1.1 steals in 21 minutes per game.

However, Oubre has nice athleticism and could be a solid wing-defender for the Wizards early on. He has some work to do on offense, but the skill is there. With John Wall, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter Jr. already on the roster, the Wizards are putting together a versatile assortment of young wings.

For the Hawks, they receive some future second-round picks and flip Grant to the New York Knicks for Tim Hardaway Jr. Hardaway Jr. averaged 11.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 70 games for the Knicks last season and at age 23 still has potential to improve moving forward. However, as good as Hardaway Jr. can be on offense, his defense has left a lot to be desired and will be something he needs to improve on moving forward.

It will be interesting to see what he can do when plugged into the Hawks’ efficient offensive system.

New York Knicks: Jerian Grant

Atlanta Hawks: Tim Hardaway, Jr.

Analysis: We have already covered what the Hawks are getting in Hardaway Jr, so let’s take a look at what the Knicks are getting in Jerian Grant.

This looks to be a solid deal for the Knicks as they flip Hardaway Jr. (who was not showing much development in New York) for an experienced point guard who should be a good fit in the Triangle offense. Grant averaged 16.6 points, 6.6 assists and three rebounds last season, while shooting 47.8 percent from the field and 31.6 percent from distance.

Grant is a solid playmaker and distributor who is constantly looking to find teammates easy baskets. He can make just about every pass there is, can drive to the rim and kick out to open shooters, and is especially skilled in the pick and roll. In addition, Grant can use his size to post up opposing guards, a position from which he has shown a polished ability to find open teammates.

Grant is also capable of scoring on his own, and has the size and skill to play shooting guard, but he is at his best when he is setting up his teammates for easy shots. This is a nice pickup for the Knicks.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Tyus Jones (selected 24th)

Cleveland Cavaliers: 31st pick (Cedi Osman) and 36th pick (Rakeem Christmas).

Analysis: Adding Tyus Jones is a solid move for the Timberwolves, who earlier in the night took Karl-Anthony Towns with the first overall pick.

Jones, age 19, is not an elite athlete, but makes up for it with confidence, IQ and other intangibles. In his one season at Duke, Jones averaged 11.8 points and 5.6 assists per game, while shooting 42 percent from the field and 38 percent from three-point range (he also shot an impressive 89 percent from the free throw line). Jones earned an honorable mention selection on the Associate Press’ All-American Team and was named third team All-ACC.

Jones came up huge for Duke in the 2015 NCAA Championship game and was named the game’s Most Outstanding Player. It’s unlikely that Jones will be a major contributor early on as a backup to Ricky Rubio, but he has a good shot of developing into a solid role player.

As for the Cavaliers, they trade out of the first-round and pick up Osman and Christmas, whose contracts won’t be guaranteed since they’re second-round selections.

Portland Trail Blazers: Mason Plumlee and the rights to Pat Connaughton (41st pick)

Brooklyn Nets:  Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (23rd pick) and guard Steve Blake

Analysis: This was arguably the biggest trade of the day as Trail Blazers general manager Neil Olshey continues to aggressively re-tool his roster in the face of star forward LaMarcus Aldridge leaving town.

Olshey acquired rising big man Mason Plumlee from the Nets, fortifying the Blazers’ frontcourt. Incumbent center Robin Lopez is a free agent who will have a lot of suitors, so this move makes a lot of sense for the Blazers, who shipped out Nicolas Batum on Wednesday for Noah Vonleh.

The Blazers also get Pat Connaughton, a 22-year-old shooting guard out of Notre Dame who shot 53.7 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from the three-point arc last season.

The Nets get a nice prospect in Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who as a sophomore averaged 10.9 points and 6.8 rebounds for the Wildcats. He was named to the All-Pac-12 last season, as well as First Team All-Pac-12 All-Defensive last season and projects to be a strong wing-defender in the NBA. This is a nice addition for the Nets.

Memphis Grizzlies: Andrew Harrison (46th pick)

Phoenix Suns: Jon Leuer and future second-round pick

Analysis: The Suns flip the 46th pick and land a nice forward in Jon Leuer and a future draft pick. Leur has shown flashes of being a contributor at various points in his career, but has never really gotten an opportunity to show what he can do with sustained playing time.

In Harrison, the Suns get a point guard that has yet to live up to the hype that surrounded him in high school. Harrison has potential and could end up being a nice pickup for the Suns. But Phoenix needs to figure out what is going to happen with more pressing issues in the backcourt, including the free agency situation surrounding Brandon Knight.

New Orleans Pelicans: Cash Considerations

Los Angeles Clippers: Branden Dawson

Analysis: Doc Rivers made it clear he was looking to acquire a draft pick and did so by paying the Pelicans for the 56th pick in the draft.

Dawson, age 22, averaged 12 points and nine rebounds in 30 minutes per game last season with Michican State in his senior year. Dawson doesn’t have much of an offensive game, and is somewhat undersized to play power forward, but he is athletic and competes at a high level. This could end up being a nice pickup for the Clippers.