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Jordan Crawford Trade: Grading the Warriors/Celtics/Heat Deal

By Michael Dunlap

Dec 28, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics shooting guard Jordan Crawford (27) dribbles the ball during the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 28, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics shooting guard Jordan Crawford (27) dribbles the ball during the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports /
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In a deal that has me excited for the trade deadline and the Woj-bombs that will be dropped, Yahoo Sports NBA writer Adrian Wojnarowski has reported on Twitter that a Jordan Crawford trade is in the works, with Crawford and Marshon Brooks heading to the Golden State Warriors. The Miami Heat were also involved, giving up Joel Anthony while acquiring Toney Douglas. Let’s grade each team’s haul.

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS ACQUIRE

  • Jordan Crawford, G
  • Marshon Brooks, G

The Warriors parted with Douglas in the deal, but he was buried on the bench and had played the 10th-most minutes on the team. The issue for the Warriors is the depth off the bench, as Crawford and Brooks are both players with a penchant for scoring. Crawford was a big part of the Celtics resurgence earlier in the season and it was his facilitating that drew some rave reviews. He’ll be a good fit and will get the opportunity to put up (and facilitate) in a lot of buckets off the bench.

GRADE: A-

BOSTON CELTICS ACQUIRE

  • Joel Anthony, C
  • First-Round Pick (from MIA, through PHI)
  • Second-Round Pick (from MIA)

The Celtics are looking to rebuild and want to amass as many picks as they can. Rajon Rondo will be back shortly and they were going to have to create minutes for him anyways, so it’s not a huge loss for them to let Crawford go. It feels like a situation where they’re getting the most value they can out of him. As far as adding Anthony, he’s a serviceable defender but I don’t see how he fits long-term with this team. The picks are nice, but this doesn’t feel like much unless the Celtics strike gold with that protected first-rounder.

GRADE: C+

MIAMI HEAT ACQUIRE

  • Luxury Tax Savings
  • Toney Douglas

From a purely financial standpoint, the Heat could get an A+ for the deal. They let go of a player that has no effect on their team in a basketball sense and will save a few million dollars in tax. However, they also gave up some picks in order to save that money. Not to create a situation where there isn’t one, but if LeBron James and company decide to split after this season, the Heat are going to need those picks to start rebuilding. Douglas isn’t going to see the light of day unless there are some major injuries or if the Heat start blowing folks out.

GRADE: B-

Michael Dunlap covers Arizona sports (Suns, Diamondbacks, Coyotes, Cardinals) at Big4Sports.com. He is an NBA credentialed writer who is also the Founder and Editor-in-Chief for the Sports Illustrated/Fansided NBA site HoopsHabit.com. He also covers high school sports for The Arizona Republic. Follow me on Twitter @DunlapNBA.