NBA Trade Grades: Raptors will send DeMarre Carroll to Nets

The Toronto Raptors have agreed to trade DeMarre Carroll and two 2018 draft picks to the Brooklyn Nets for Justin Hamilton. The draft picks are a lottery-protected first round pick and a second round pick.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Toronto Raptors and the Brooklyn Nets have agreed to a trade sending DeMarre Carroll to Brooklyn for Justin Hamilton. In the deal, Toronto will also send a 2018 first round pick and second round pick to the Nets.

The Raptors gain some financial flexibility while also parting with a player who was falling out of the rotation. They are set to receive Justin Hamilton who showed some flashes of potential last season for the Nets, but Hamilton has never averaged heavy minutes in the NBA and is not a traditional center.

After two straight exits at the hands of LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Toronto Raptors needed to reconfigure their roster in an attempt to close the gap between them and the Cavs. Ridding themselves of Carroll and the two years left on his contract were necessary moving forward.

Carroll is owed just over than $30 million over the next two years and the Raptors determined his contract was too expensive for a player they were not utilizing. The talent gap between the players is a strong indicator that the move appears to be financially motivated.

In his career, Justin Hamilton has not seen consistent enough playing time to be reasonably expected to contribute immediately to the Toronto Raptors, which is why he will be waived and stretched.

While all transactions should theoretically be equal, there is a clear winner and loser in this trade.