RealGM

nykinoz wrote:G'day,

Why hasn't a grading the deal been published for Raymond Felton? It's one of the best reads on RealGM, but haven't seen one for Felton yet. Fisher gets one, but not Felton?? More RealGM Knick hatred??

For the Wolves, they have now essentially sent Kevin Garnett to the Celtics for Jonny Flynn (their own pick back from the Wally Szczerbiak trade), Wayne Ellington, Koufos, Martell Webster and two more additional picks.

Aside from our own picks, the Celtics are likely entitled to receive a future first-round pick from the Minnesota Timberwolves. Due to a league rule prohibiting teams from ever placing themselves in a situation where two consecutive future first-round picks have been traded away, the Celtics cannot receive the first round pick the Timberwolves owe from the Ricky Davis/Wally Szczerbiak trade until two years after the Timberwolves send a pick to the Clippers (from the Sam Cassell/Marko Jaric trade). However, because the Clippers trade involved top 10 "protection," Minnesota only has to send the pick to the Clippers if the pick falls outside the top 10 picks in the draft. Therefore, in future years, Celtics fans should be rooting for Minnesota to win (when, of course, they're not playing against the Celtics) until the Timberwolves finish a season out of the bottom ten, and send their pick to the Clippers. Two years after this occurs, the Timberwolves will send their first-round pick to the Celtics, subject to some "protection" which decreases annually after the first year in which we could receive the pick.*

The situation is further complicated by a league rule that prevents any deals being made involving drafts more than 7 drafts into the future; as a result the Celtics cannot receive Minnesota's pick after the 2012 draft, since the Ricky/Wally trade was made before the 2006 draft. Therefore, if the Timberwolves do not send a pick to the Clippers by the end of the 2010 draft, the Celtics will be unable to receive the Timberwolves' first-round pick in 2012, and will instead receive a second-round pick in 2012.

Schadenfreude wrote:

nykinoz wrote:G'day,

Why hasn't a grading the deal been published for Raymond Felton? It's one of the best reads on RealGM, but haven't seen one for Felton yet. Fisher gets one, but not Felton?? More RealGM Knick hatred??

Schadding the deal

Raymond Felton - 2 years, $15.8m.

A notoriously inefficient offensive player who had posted TS% of .500 or below in his first four seasons, Felton finally came into his own last year, displaying a competent mid-range game and outside shot. However, questions still remain; for a point guard, he does not get to the line nearly enough, which caps his efficiency somewhat, and his assist rate (while still passable) fell to a career low in Charlotte's isolation-heavy half-court offense. His playing style should fit well with D'Antoni's system, but his sometimes questionable decision-making may not.

That said, while the annual salary might be a bit high, it's a low-risk move for the Knicks, who get a two-year evaluation and a contract that expires prior to the 2012 offseason, which scouts have dubbed Free Agent Mania II: Electric Boogaloo. If Felton flourishes, they have a valuable piece and can concentrate on other positions of need through trades and free agency. If he does not, the Knicks lose very little owing to the short deal length.

Grade for the Knicks: B+. Not quite the player they were looking for entering free agency, but a solid player on a manageable contract, and they avoided the sort of idiotic long-term deals that have thus far dominated the free agent period.

Grade for Felton: D. While $15.8m is nothing to sniff at, any free agent who receives less than 5 years, $50m this off-season should shoot their agent.