The 2022 NBA Draft featured several influential trades. With the benefit of hindsight, let's grade each move that was made.
The 2022 NBA Draft introduced several future stars into the league. Paolo Banchero, the No. 1 pick, is already the centerpiece of the Orlando Magic rebuild. Chet Holmgren is about to accentuate and elevate a burgeoning contender in OKC. Then there's Jalen Williams, Jaden Ivey, Jabari Smith, Keegan Murray — all players who feel destined for long, successful NBA careers.
Of course, the NBA Draft is shaped not only by the picks made — but by who makes them, and how. Trades are commonplace on draft night. More often than not, they're rampant. The 2023 NBA Draft will be no different, with speculation already bubbling up around Portland with the No. 3 pick and Houston with the No. 4 pick.
While the 2022 NBA Draft didn't feature any high-profile trade swings of that magnitude, there were several noteworthy players moved around. Rebuilds were reshaped, contenders shed salary, and cash considerations made their famous annual appearance on the NBA red carpet.
Let's go through all the significant NBA Draft night trades and re-grade them with the benefit of hindsight.
NBA Draft trade grade: Warriors-Hawks swap 2nds
Both Tyrese Martin and Ryan Rollins appeared in fewer than 20 games for their respective teams and shot below 40 percent from the field. Both being second-round picks on contenders, neither was expected to contribute much — and neither gained much traction during the regular season. This feels like a wash.
Warriors: C
Hawks: C
NBA Draft trade grade: Grizzlies trade for Kennedy Chandler
A few months ago, this trade grade would have heavily favored the Grizzlies, who received Tennessee's Kennedy Chandler — a first-round caliber of prospect — in exchange for cash and a future pick that may or may not be anything.
Well, the Grizzlies cut Chandler in April to make room for undrafted free agent and G-League star Kenneth Lofton. So the Spurs are the winners here by default, whether that future pick becomes anything or not.
Spurs: A
Grizzlies: F
NBA Draft trade grade: Mavericks trade for Jaden Hardy
Jaden Hardy emerged as a real asset for Dallas late in the season. With their depth depleted after the Kyrie Irving trade, the Mavs leaned on Hardy's shot-making talent in the second unit. The former G-League Ignite guard answered the call and looked like one of the more promising rookies from outside the lottery.
We can never really know the outcome until the Kings use those future picks, but Dallas spent practically nothing for a legitimate rotation player. Hard not to chalk that up as a win.
Kings: D
Mavericks: A
NBA Draft trade grade: Rockets trade for TyTy Washington Jr.
This was a byproduct of the very complicated trade that sent Christian Wood to Dallas. TyTy Washington was mostly relegated to bench-warming or G-League duties in his rookie season with Houston; the same can be said for Moore in year one with Minnesota. Another wash, for now.
Rockets: C
Timberwolves: C
NBA Draft trade grade: Grizzlies trade De'Anthony Melton to 76ers
The Sixers made out like bandits here. De'Anthony Melton was their best perimeter defender all season and it translated to the playoffs. After years of not being able to rely on their bench, the Sixers received 25+ minutes of quality two-way basketball from Melton on a nightly basis. He even started over Tyrese Maxey for a period.
The Grizzlies moved on from Danny Green at the trade deadline shortly after his return from a torn ACL. David Roddy meanwhile showed very promising flashes despite the sea of depth around him on the Grizzlies' roster. The primary motivator for trading Melton was likely the fear of paying him in a couple years. If Roddy can become a bankable rotation piece, the Grizzlies could justify the maneuver — even if Melton's elite defensive playmaking and near-40 percent success rate on 3s would have probably benefited the wayward Grizz.
76ers: A
Grizzlies: C+
NBA Draft trade grade: Grizzlies and Wolves fumble Walker Kessler
The Grizzlies, on the surface, made a very sensible move here. With a deep roster and a desire to contend, there was no point in stockpiling late first-round picks. Consolidating and getting a prospect they really wanted in the late-teens was the right decision. Jake LaRavia only appeared in 35 games for Memphis, but it's hard to find minutes for 21-year-olds on the deepest contender in the West. He looked good in his sparse playing time and he projects as a solid long-term investment.
The Wolves, however, hit the jack pocket with young rim protector Walker Kessler in the No. 22 spot. Kessler's rim protection numbers were off the charts as a rookie and he's already trending in the direction of perennial All-Defense contention. Imagine if Kessler can serve as a sort of twin tower next to Karl-Anthony Towns in the frontcourt long-term. His shot-blocking and efficient finishing around the rim would, in theory, pair nicely with KAT's long-range shooting.
Wait, what's that? The Wolves traded Kessler and their entire draft future for Rudy Gobert? And now Kessler is the starting center in Utah, doing his best Gobert impression? Oh, well…
The Grizzlies, who sorely missed Steven Adams' presence in the middle last season, probably wish they were the ones with Kessler right now.
Wolves: F (but should've been an A)
Grizzlies: D+
NBA trade grade: Knicks use Jalen Duren to dump Kemba Walker
The Knicks essentially broke NBA Twitter a year ago with their decision to dump Jalen Duren, a lottery pick, off to Detroit in order to remove Kemba Walker's salary from their books. Walker was eventually cut by Detroit and he has since been out of the league.
As for Duren, he might be the strongest teenager in recorded human history. He's a beast on the boards (8.9 rebounds in 24.9 minutes per game) and the center of the future in Detroit, no matter how much the Pistons want to pretend like James Wiseman is the answer.
New York did eventually salvage another future first out of this, but it will probably be a late first so long as Giannis Antetokounmpo remains a Milwaukee Buck. The Knicks don't really need another center at the moment, but Duren was an immediate rotation piece as the youngest player in the NBA — his ceiling is undetermined, but probably higher than a late-round pick in 2025.
Meanwhile, the Hornets played facilitator and squeezed a first-round pick and a bunch of second-round picks out of two fellow Eastern Conference teams. Savvy asset management on their part, which isn't something we can often say about Charlotte.
Knicks: D+
Hornets: A
Pistons: A
NBA Draft trade grade: Thunder trade up for Ousmane Dieng
OKC used its treasure trove of future draft picks to move into the lottery for a third time and select French wing Ousmane Dieng out of Australia's NBL. The Thunder love, love, love long, skilled players who present multi-faceted threats on offense. Dieng flashed secondary playmaking upside overseas and he has inherent defensive versatility as a mobile 6-foot-10 wing.
The Thunder used Dieng sparsely in his rookie season — he appeared in 39 games averaging 14.6 minutes. That said, he was always a long-term investment and OKC's underrated depth across the board made it hard for Dieng to stick, especially once it became clear the Thunder were actually capable of winning games and competing for a play-in spot.
None of New York's 2023 first-round picks actually conveyed, so the jury is still out on the Knicks. But trading out of two lottery picks for zero semi-immediate return is quite the, um, risk from the Knicks front office.
Thunder: B-
Knicks: C
