Grading the trade for the Trail Blazers
This is an A+ deal for the Warriors. Not so much for Portland.
Here's Buckley's rationale from the Blazers' perspective:
"Wiggins is (slightly) younger and (a decent amount) cheaper than Grant, and when both players are in a groove, there isn't a lot of difference between them. So the Blazers might be shipping out Grant for a more cost-effective version of himself while also adding Moody, a 21-year-old who's flashed serious three-and-D chops when given an opportunity to play."Zach Buckley, Bleacher Report
Let's break that down, because umm...
- Wiggins will turn 29 on Feb. 23. Grant will be 30 on March 12. They're less than a year apart in age.
- Sure, Grant may be overpaid as he signed a five-year, $160 million contract last offseason. But Wiggins is locked into a deal that has a player option for $30.2 million in 2026-27, just one year before Grant's player option and the expiry of his deal.
- "When both players are in a groove, there isn't a lot of difference between them." That's blatantly false - Grant is a far superior offensive player even on Wiggins' good nights - and one player is in said groove this season while the other is...not. Golden State's version of this supposed similar player is averaging a career-low 12.2 points on 44 percent shooting and 31.1 percent shooting from deep.
- Portland is not "shipping out Grant for a more cost-effective version of himself."
Moody is an attractive asset who would be included in any move the Warriors make to attempt to upgrade their roster. He's averaging career highs in minutes, points, rebounds and field-goal percentage. He's a career 36.2 percent shooter from three.
Per 36 minutes, the 21-year-old is averaging 17.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals with shooting splits of 48/36/79. At a sturdy 6-foot-6, he's worth trying to develop into the three-and-D wing Grant is now.
But that's essentially all the Blazers are getting in exchange for a player who's been their best and most consistent since opening night.
Blazers trade grade: F-