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Gasol deal puts Lakers at head of trade class

Jazz, Hawks, Suns also make all the right moves ahead of deadline

Image: LakersGetty Images
The trade for Pau Gasol made the Lakers instant championship contenders.

NETS: B
This might be one of those deals that fans look back on and conclude that the Nets didn’t get nearly enough for All-Star Jason Kidd. But that really depends on whether point guard Devin Harris steps up and plays like an All-Star, and also what the Nets do as the result of the expiring contracts they receive from DeSagana Diop and Keith Van Horn and who they select with the two first-round draft picks in the deal.

The whole Devean George mess almost put the kibosh on this, but the Nets hung in there and did what they needed to do — unload Kidd and his whopping contract, and begin the process of reconfiguring their roster.

HEAT: B+
They dumped Shaq and the two years and roughly $40 million remaining on his contract. In exchange, they received Shawn Marion, who may or may not re-sign with Miami in the offseason. Either way, Miami was in tatters, and Pat Riley had to do something drastic.

Marion can opt out of his contract this summer, but he’ll give up $17 million if he does that, and there are no guarantees he’ll get that kind of money elsewhere.

If the Heat extend Marion, they’ll have a talented forward to pair with Dwyane Wade, a two-star arrangement upon which to build a future contender. If they don’t, they’ll have Marion’s sizeable salary hole to use on another free agent.

Either way, it was a win-win for Riley because the Heat was going nowhere with Shaq.

JAZZ: A-
Utah acquired Kyle Korver in late December, and since then the club has benefited greatly from his 3-point marksmanship. The Jazz was already a team that could give anyone in the West fits during a seven-game series, and had an outside shot at reaching the Finals. Those chances immediately improved with Korver on the perimeter. Even though he only plays about 25 minutes a game, when he’s hot, Utah is difficult to stop.

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And all the Jazz had to give Philadelphia to get him was disgruntled guard Gordan Giricek and a protected first-round pick.

KINGS: B
Again, another team in rebuilding mode. Bibby was the Kings’ most valuable asset; Ron Artest is too unstable to be mentioned in that category.

By trading Bibby to Atlanta, the Kings acquired the expiring contracts of Anthony Johnson, Lorenzen Wright and Tyronn Lue, along with Shelden Williams. Not bad. Not great, but not bad.

If they could pull off something to unload Artest and get a similar bundle in return, then they’d get more lavish praise.

GRIZZLIES: Incomplete

It’s way too early to say how Memphis will fare as the result of the Gasol trade.

Kwame is a nowhere man. When the Grizzlies say goodbye to him at the end of the year, they hope to say hello to someone who can add muscle and scoring to a core that includes Rudy Gay, Juan Carlos Navarro, Mike Conley and Mike Miller, if he stays. He’s been rumored to be on the block, too.

Michael Ventre is a contributor to msnbc.com and a freelance writer based in Los Angeles.


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