NBA trade deadline hindsight: Every wild deal from 2015 deadline revisited

We're always so quick to grade trades and determine a winner instantly once a move is made. It's important to figure out the change in the lay of the land, if there is any change at all, and where a team may have had foresight or blinders on when determining the value of a player involved in a deal.

We don't often look back at the moves from the past and check up on how the move was or how it allowed a situation to develop. Sometimes they cause a situation to devolve, as well. Three years ago, I looked at the 2012 deadline deals, which included JaVale McGee going to Denver, and the infamous Monta Ellis-Andrew Bogut swap. Two years ago, I did some trade deadline hindsight of 2013, which included Rudy Gay being moved to Toronto, Tobias Harris being traded to Orlando, and Marcus Morris being moved to Phoenix.

There's a bit of full circle here considering Markieff Morris and Tobias Harris were both moved this week. I have no idea why I didn't do this project last year, but we're resurrecting it this season. You never know when a seemingly small trade at the time ends up being a much bigger roster-shaping moment.

Let's use some hindsight to re-evaluate what went down at the 2015 trade deadline and take stock of how it's worked out:

These two point guards being dealt ruled the trade deadline in 2015. (USATSI)

Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets deal
SIXERS RECEIVE:		ROCKETS RECEIVE:
	PG Isaiah Canaan 2015 2nd Rd Pick		SF K.J. McDaniels

What we said at the time: Houston saw an opportunity and pounced on it. Canaan is an explosive backup point guard, but he's not in McDaniels' league in terms of ceiling. The high-flying forward has work to do to make his outside shot consistent, but has already shown how much of an impact he can make on defense. While the rookie out of Clemson is known mostly for his ridiculous dunks and blocks, he projects as a solid 3-and-D wing who can also protect the rim. That's rare, that's valuable, and that's worth spending money on this summer. -- James Herbert on Houston

Looking back on the trade now: In what felt like a steal at the time for the Houston Rockets, a year removed from this deal makes you feel much differently. McDaniels has played 95 minutes for Houston over the last year, buried behind Trevor Ariza, Corey Brewer, and even Jason Terry. He re-signed for three years, $10 million as a free agent, but now he's simply a seat-filler on the bench for this apathetic bunch. You would think with a need for an injection of life, they might turn to him, but they haven't.

As for Philadelphia, the biggest part of this trade may have ended up being that second-round pick they received. Isaiah Canaan hasn't been able to carve out consistent production outside of being an above average 3-point shooter. That pick from Houston turned into Richaun Holmes, who looks like he could be a nice rotation big. He can knock down a jumper, he's athletic, and he can block shots. This trade is not nearly as exciting as it looked last year.

Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets deal
SIXERS RECEIVE:		NUGGETS RECEIVE:
	C JaVale McGee Rights to Chukwudiebere Maduabum Future 1st Rd Pick		Rights to Cenk Akyol

What we said at the time: They got a first-round pick for nothing. Didn't have to give up a pick. Didn't have to send a player. Not a second-rounder, not a bench player. Nothing. They gave up nothing for a first-round pick. They reportedly surrendered the rights to Cent Akyol, who was drafted in 2005 (!) and has never played a game in the NBA, having played overseas all this time. -- Matt Moore on the Philadelphia

Looking back on the trade now: The first-rounder in this trade end eventually got involved with the Jason Thompson-Gerald Wallace swap between the Golden State Warriors and 76ers. Basically, this is OKC's pick (top 15 protected). It was moved to Cleveland in the Dion Waiters deal and then Denver in the Timofey Mozgov deal. Then Denver dealt it to Philly along with JaVale McGee, who played 61 minutes in Philly and is now in Dallas. This pick can be swapped with the Warriors pick now, but only if it's less favorable. So I'm pretty sure this pick will be conveyed to the Sixers in the 2016 draft. Dion Waiters and JaVale McGee find a way to complicate EVERYTHING.

Shoutout to Cenk Akyol. The 28-year old guard is hitting 46 percent of his 3-pointers for Besitkas this season in Eurocup.

Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers deal
NUGGETS RECEIVE:		BLAZERS RECEIVE:
	G/F Will Barton F Victor Claver PF Thomas Robinson 2016 1st Rd Pick		SG Arron Afflalo SF Alonzo Gee

What we said at the time: When you're already great, it makes sense to sacrifice a pick to get a player who can swing a playoff game or series.

Afflalo is that kind of player. He's had a disappointing season in Denver, but almost everyone on that team can say the same. He'll take minutes away from combo guard C.J. McCollum, who wasn't really part of the rotation in last year's playoffs. He can make open spot-up 3s and should be able to score easily against reserve guards. He'll just have to adjust to coming off the bench behind Wesley Matthews. And he'll have to do that in a contract season. -- James Herbert on Portland

Looking back on the trade now: Who would've thought that Will Barton would end up being the best part of this trade for either side? Arron Afflalo was a rental for the Blazers, and eventually signed a two-year deal in New York. But he became a pretty important rental when Wes Matthews went down with a torn Achilles' tendon. Portland put up a fight, but was eventually disbanded in the summer and forced to retool on the fly. Claver and Robinson are long gone, but Barton has emerged as one of the most improved players in the NBA this season. He signed a three-year, $10.6 million deal in the offseason and then turned himself into one of the best non-rookie deal bargains in the NBA.

The draft pick situation should help out Denver, as well. Portland's pick owed to the Nuggets is lottery protected, but with the way the West has shaken out so far, it looks like the Blazers have a great chance at making the postseason and conveying that pick. That would give the Nuggets a couple of picks in the top 16 or so. It's lottery protected next year too and if it doesn't convey by then, it becomes a second-rounder in 2018 and a second-rounder in 2019.

Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns deal
CELTICS RECEIVE:		SUNS RECEIVE:
	PG Isaiah Thomas		SG Marcus Thornton 2016 CLE 1st Rd Pick

What we said at the time: But Thomas is also an emotional leader and a guy who can step up and make plays. He's going to rack up numbers in Boston and run the system well. He and Marcus Smart will work well in a combo-guard lineup and Thomas will set up Kelly Olynyk exceptionally well. They moved one of their picks, which is too bad, but they also have about 1,100 left. Thornton wasn't a long-term option for them and if the Celtics manage to get a guy like Karl Towns or Jahlil Okafor in the draft, Boston will be in good shape with a starting point guard. Thomas' deal is cap friendly so they can move him again if they need to move him.

Boston got a guy who helps them. This is a win. -- Matt Moore on Boston

Looking back on the trade now: Wow, what a pull by Danny Ainge this was. Ainge pursued Thomas in the previous offseason when the tiny point guard ended up signing a four-year deal with Phoenix. Not even a full season later and Ainge traded for a player who quickly became an All-Star in the East. I'm not sure how this could have gone any better for the Celtics. Thomas immediately helped them become a playoff team (1 1/2 games out when acquiring Thomas), and now has them as one of the better teams in a weird Eastern Conference. He's been so good that it's safe to wonder if his presence has hurt the development of Marcus Smart a bit, but maybe it's also allowing him to come along slower and not have as much pressure on himself.

For the Suns, this was part of them cleaning out their backcourt and becoming one of the more dysfunctional teams in the NBA. The pick owed to Phoenix is from Cleveland in the Tyler Zeller, Jarrett Jack three-team deal with Brooklyn, Boston, and the Cavs. It's only top 10 protected so the Suns will receive it this coming draft.

Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons
CELTICS RECEIVE:		PISTONS RECEIVE:
	SF Jonas Jerebko SF Luigi Datome		SF Tayshaun Prince

What we said at the time: We didn't really say anything, mostly because the madness of that day made this move seemed a little bit less important in the grand scheme of things.

Looking back on the trade now: Tayshaun Prince finished out the season before signing with Minnesota this past summer to help mentor the young players at the Target Center. For the Celtics, Luigi Datome went back to Europe, but Jonas Jerebko has been a nice combo forward for them in many of Brad Stevens' brilliant lineups. Jerebko re-signed with the Celtics on a two-year deal in the summer, and the team's offense has surged with his versatility on the floor this season. He's stretching the floor with a 42.9 percent success rate from deep this season. It was a nice pickup by the Celtics and you wonder if Stan Van Gundy maybe gave away too valuable of a role player in Jerebko.

Sacramento Kings, Washington Wizards deal
KINGS RECEIVE:		WIZARDS RECEIVE:
	PG Andre Miller		PG Ramon Sessions

What was said at the time: "Adding Andre bolsters our backcourt with one of the most prolific ball distributors in the game," general manager Pete D’Alessandro said. "He'll also provide veteran leadership to the lockeroom and a wealth of experience at the point guard position. We’re excited to have him join the team. We also want to thank Ramon and wish him the best moving forward." -- Kings GM Pete D'Alessandro on the move

Looking back on the trade now: Sort of like Prince above, Andre Miller finished out the season with the team he was traded to and then signed with Minnesota in the offseason to help mentor young guys. His time with the Kings didn't matter much, unfortunately. He wasn't able to help George Karl -- a newly hired Karl -- build much stability, progress, or credit with the Kings over those final two months of the season.

For the Wizards, Sessions is still their backup point guard, playing about 20 minutes each night. The problem is, he's not very good and he's not really the facilitator he used to be. Now he's much more of a scorer and doesn't have a 3-point shot at all. He's not bad, but he's not really a difference-maker. We'll always have that time he was traded to the Lakers though and we pretended he was a missing piece for them. Maybe he's like the backup point guard version of Jeff Green.

New York Knicks, Houston Rockets deal
KNICKS RECEIVE:		ROCKETS RECEIVE:
	PG/SG Alexey Shved 2017 2nd Rd Pick 2019 2nd Rd Pick		PG Pablo Prigioni

What we said at the time: Didn't have anything on this move, but what happened with Shved in his short time in New York was really weird.

Looking back on the trade now: Pablo Prigioni has a small part in helping the Rockets get to the conference finals before the Warriors broke their will to compete in the future, but now he's on the Clippers and has renewed his friendship with Cole Aldrich. They're great buddies and Aldrich is going to eat one of the pigs from Prigioni's pig farm. None of this is made-up.

What feels made-up though is the small run Shved had for the Knicks last season. Sure, it was a zombie wasteland in New York with them moving toward having a bad enough pick to end up with a franchise-changing player (shoutout to Kristaps Porzingis). But nobody could've predicted Shved looking crazy competent in his 16 games (nine starts) with the Knicks. In his nine starts, Shved averaged 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists with shooting percentages of 43.0/40.0/72.5. Now he's back in Russia and it feels like those couple of weeks were a fever dream.

Brooklyn Nets, Minnesota Timberwolves deal
NETS RECEIVE:		WOLVES RECEIVE:
	PF Thaddeus Young		PF Kevin Garnett

What we said at the time: The obvious rationale (aside from ticket sales) was mentioned by Stein: Garnett can be a mentor. While Young is respected for his professionalism, he doesn't have a voice as loud as Garnett's. No one does. It's not just Andrew Wiggins -- the Wolves have Anthony Bennett, Zach LaVine, Gorgui Dieng, Shabazz Muhammad, Adreian Payne and Glenn Robinson III on the roster. That's a whole lot of young players who can learn from the former MVP and future Hall of Famer. -- James Herbert on Minnesota

Looking back on the trade now: At the time, this was a bit of a controversial move by the Wolves once you got past the fuzzy feelings of bringing KG back to Minneapolis for a full circle moment. The Wolves gave up the Heat's first-round pick (owed to Philadelphia) in the deal that got them Andrew Wiggins in order to bring Thaddeus Young to Minnesota. Then a few months later, they flipped Young for KG, who is anything but Young. For a short amount of time, it looked like they had wasted a first-round pick for the chance to sell some tickets at the end of the season.

Then KG came back, the Wolves ended up with Karl-Anthony Towns, and Garnett has become the perfect mentor to one of the best young players in the NBA. The mentor program the Wolves have is working out well, as their future looks incredibly bright. Towns has taken to KG quite well and even has a competition with the veteran to try to beat him to the gym every day. It worked out but the criticism was getting a bit testy for a short time.

For the Nets, they re-signed Young (four years, $50 million) and he's been a nice combination with Brook Lopez. But they're such a mess in terms of finding bright spots to focus on and build progress with that you can't help but feel like Young should now try to get traded somewhere in the offseason. He's had some bad luck with whatever team he goes to.

Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns deal
BUCKS RECEIVE:		SIXERS RECEIVE:		SUNS RECEIVE:
	PG Michael Carter-Williams PG Tyler Ennis C Miles Plumlee		Future LAL 1st Rd Pick		PG Brandon Knight PG Kendall Marshall

What we said at the time: The Bucks apparently decided they didn't want to go "in" with this core. With Jabari Parker out for the year and Giannis Antetokounmpo just barely out of his teens, the Bucks are in no hurry. Knight was going to put them in a tough spot, either having to commit big money to a point guard they apparently weren't sold on, or overpay for a veteran replacement. They have the veterans to continue on their run this season (Jerryd Bayless) and now they get a pure point in Michael Carter-Williams. Williams is a brilliant passer, defender, and athlete who can't shoot -- so Jason Kidd's going to love him. -- Matt Moore on Milwaukee

Looking back on the trade now: This was one of the huge trades and we have quite a bit to digest with it, so let's dive in. We'll start with the Philadelphia 76ers, who moved the reigning Rookie of the Year the year after he won the award just so they could have another first-round pick. And you know what? They were right to do it. The Sixers flipped their point guard and now have a chance at a high lottery pick this year if the Lakers' pick falls outside the top 3. Michael Carter-Williams hasn't been good in Milwaukee to the point that they were trying to trade for Ricky Rubio at the deadline to replace him. The Sixers still get to keep trusting the process while waiting to cash in on this Lakers pick.

For the Bucks, MCW's lack of progress under a short time being coached by Jason Kidd is disconcerting. It's not that he's not progressing; it's that he's gotten to a point where you don't even know if he should be playing for a Milwaukee team that's taken a huge step back. Miles Plumlee has had a small role for them and Tyler Ennis hasn't played much at all. Milwaukee could really use getting back to the defensive identity they had a year ago. That won't happen with Greg Monroe and MCW on the floor at the same time, and Monroe makes more so it might make Carter-Williams tradable pretty soon.

For the Suns, the Brandon Knight they acquired was not the Brandon Knight who was having a career year in Milwaukee. Coincidentally (or is it?), he was also in a contract year and ended up re-signing with Phoenix for five years and $70 million. Now? It's just such a rough situation in Phoenix and he's not a bright spot. At best, he's been an average point guard this year, and they need him to be so much more than that. Especially with Eric Bledsoe out for the year, they needed the Knight they acquired and not the one who showed up. Maybe the next coach will find a way to bring that out of him.

Overall, it wasn't a bad reshuffling by these three teams, but the Sixers came out on top and they don't even have anybody from it yet.

Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat, New Orleans Pelicans deal
SUNS RECEIVE:		HEAT RECEIVE:		PELICANS RECEIVE:
	SF Danny Granger SF John Salmons 2017 MIA 1st Rd 2021 MIA 1st Rd		PG Goran Dragic SG Zoran Dragic		PG Norris Cole C Justin Hamilton F Shawne Williams

What we said at the time: Pat Riley and the Heat have injected some life back into their roster and now become a pretty big problem in the Eastern Conference playoffs, even if they don't advance past the first round. And setting themselves up for the future, they could be a development of Whiteside away from becoming one of the contenders in a year or two. -- Zach Harper on Miami

Looking back on the trade now: This was supposed to be a huge move for the Heat that put them back into prominence. With Dragic a year removed from an All-NBA Third Team, having him join Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade wasn't going to make up for the loss of LeBron James but it was certainly going to help them become one of the better teams in the East. Instead, Dragic didn't get to play with Bosh at all last season after the big man developed a blood clot that ended his season. Dragic and Wade had some chemistry on the court to build up, but going into this season (Dragic re-signed for five years, $90 million) the trio plus Hassan Whiteside was supposed to look pretty formidable.

Instead, we've seen some fit issues with him and Wade on the court, and a struggle for the right tempo with Erik Spoelstra wanting to run with Dragic but Wade not being an up-tempo guy. It's still been the right move for the team. They'll continue to build chemistry on the court, as long as Bosh is healthy. Their bigger issue is figuring out just how much and when they should play Whiteside, but Dragic and Wade are still tough guards to deal with as a defensive unit.

The move was simple for Phoenix. Dragic didn't want to be there anymore and they weren't going to lose him for nothing. Miami was one of the places he wanted to go and it helps that Pat Riley doesn't seem to care about the draft. Granger and Salmons are long gone, but a pick in 2017 and a pick in 2021 could be quite valuable. For the Pelicans, Hamilton and Williams are gone, but Norris Cole helped them make a playoff push last season.

Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, Detroit Pistons deal
JAZZ RECEIVE:		THUNDER RECEIVE:		PISTONS RECEIVE:
	PF Grant Jerrett C Kendrick Perkins Rights to Tibor Pleiss Future OKC 1st Rd 2017 DET 2nd Rd		PF Enes Kanter PF Steve Novak PG DJ Augustin SF Kyle Singler 2019 DET 2nd Rd		PG Reggie Jackson

What we said at the time: Jackson is set to be a restricted free agent in the summer, so Detroit essentially acquired the right to match any offer sheet he signs. The price tag on that offer sheet will largely be determined by how he performs for the rest of the season. Van Gundy's offense should give him an opportunity to flourish, as Jennings and Augustin both found success in a post-Josh Smith world with the ball in their hands and the promise of consistent minutes. If Jackson doesn't shine here, he cannot blame the system or the situation. -- James Herbert on Detroit

Looking back on the trade now: The implications of this deal are pretty incredible. We'll start with the Jazz, who ended up getting a future first-round pick (lottery protected and probably not conveyed until 2018), and clearing minutes for Rudy Gobert, the best rim protector in the NBA. Trading Enes Kanter was addition by subtraction for them and the end of that tenure in Salt Lake City was fairly strained. Kanter even blew kisses to the local media as he left his last practice with the team right before the deadline. The Jazz were historically great defensively after this trade and have managed to put themselves in playoff position this season, despite a bunch of injuries. Tibor Pleiss joined the team this season and is a project for them.

For the Thunder, Kanter was a double-double machine down the stretch for them as they scrambled to fight for a playoff spot sans Kevin Durant. The move added a bunch of depth for a rotation that was looking fairly thin, and they still roll with a deep rotation capable of lots of versatility but not much defense in the second unit. The controversial thing about this was the contract OKC ended up giving Kanter in the offseason. Portland forced their hand by signing him to a four-year max offer sheet, and the Thunder matched it. He's a backup big man making $17 million per season, and he's a bad defender. They just want him to score and grab rebounds, so it may work out yet.

For the Pistons, they ended up hitting the jackpot. After Brandon Jennings went down with a torn Achilles' tendon and they badly needed a point guard. Jackson became the guy for them, flourished in the final 20 games or so under Stan Van Gundy, and appears to have fixed a 3-point shot that was a complete mess. The Pistons signed Jackson to a five-year, $80 million deal this summer and he's become a borderline All-Star for a team close to being a playoff squad. Jackson looks completely confident with the Pistons and has a great attack in the pick-and-roll with Andre Drummond. The Pistons gave up some depth, but the return has been one of the 10 best point guards in the league this season. Van Gundy has made a couple of huge moves so far, and Jackson exemplifies the best of them.

Oklahoma City Thunder, New Orleans Pelicans deal
THUNDER RECEIVE:		PELICANS RECEIVE:
	2016 2nd Rd Pick		PG Ish Smith Rights to Latavious Williams 2015 2nd Rd Pick Cash

What we said at the time: We very much didn't. It was Ish Smith and a second-round pick swap. Smith's become a rotation guy but he wasn't at the time.

Looking back on the trade now: Ish Smith is a name basketball geeks will recognize from this deal, but he was waived immediately following the trade. He resurfaced with the Sixers, then went to Washington, back to the Pelicans, and eventually was traded back to the Sixers. The 2015 pick wasn't exercised by the Pelicans. I'd like to know what that cash was used for. Maybe it's part of a plan to eventually take out the creepy King Cake Baby. We'll have to stay tuned to find out.