Reaction to Knicks-Mavericks Trade (Tyson Chandler Trade)
Throughout the offseason, we will be posting reactions to every major trade and signing.
On June 25th, the Mavericks and Knicks completed a trade. The details of the trade are as follows:
Dallas Receives: Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton
New York Receives: Jose Calderon, Samuel Dalembert, Shane Larkin, Wayne Ellington, 34th pick in 2014 draft, 51st pick in 2014 draft
Here are the projected Starting 5’s for each team after the trade. Bold indicates that the player was acquired in this trade.
New York Knicks:
PG: Jose Calderon
SG: J.R. Smith
SF: Iman Shumpert
PF: Amare Stoudemire
C: Samuel Dalembert
Dallas Mavericks:
PG: Raymond Felton
SG: Monta Ellis
SF: Shawn Marion
PF: Dirk Nowitzki
C: Tyson Chandler
This is a very good trade for both sides, however for extremely different reasons.
For the Knicks, this trade works extremely well. They acquire a very good PG in Calderon after having to struggle with Raymond Felton for the past season or two. Dalembert is a worse player than Chandler in nearly every aspect, but he is still a decent starter, and will contribute to the team in several different ways. Not to mention, the Knicks owed Tyson a lot of money, so this trade gives them some financial flexibility. Shane Larkin could also be a key addition to the team. Last year’s first round pick out of Miami hardly got any playing time in Dallas last season, but he still has a good amount of potential. The only thing holding him back is his height (he is only 5’11), and if he can overcome that, he could become a very solid player. The last player that the Knicks acquired, Wayne Ellington, isn’t a particularly good player, but he can play that Steve Novak role off the bench for the Knicks, as he is an elite 3 point shooter. He shot 42.4% from beyond the arc last season. The Knicks previously had zero picks in this upcoming draft, but they now have an early 2nd rounder and a mid 2nd rounder. In a deep draft class, they could find some hidden gems at those picks.
For Dallas, this trade was mainly done, it appears, as a way to lure Carmelo Anthony to Dallas. They made a fairly big upgrade at Center with Tyson Chandler, and although they downgraded at the PG position, they still have a very good starting lineup. More importantly, Carmelo Anthony is very good friends with Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton, after playing with them on the Knicks for three and two years, respectively. The Mavericks didn’t lose much with this trade, as Calderon, the only sure thing that they traded away, is aging. If Carmelo comes to the Mavericks, this would likely be a factor in his decision, and would thus be a huge victory for Dallas.
Dallas Mavericks Grade: B
New York Knicks Grade: A
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