The D-League wants to get in on the trade deadline week action, it seems.
Raptors 905 got involved as part of a three-team trade on Friday, the team announced. The 905 acquired a fourth-round pick from Bakersfield for sending the returning player rights to Ty Walker to Iowa, who sent Joel Wright to Bakersfield.
A fourth-round pick for the returning player rights to a player who doesn’t figure into the future? Sure! The 905 have done a great job turning the returning player rights they acquired in the D-League expansion draft into asset they’re more likely to use, as they’ve now traded, by my count, the rights to seven players from that expansion draft.
- Traded the rights to Ricky Ledo for the rights to Sim Bhullar
- Traded the rights to Earl Clark for a 2016 third-round pick
- Traded the rights to Nolan Smith and a 2015 first-round pick for a 2015 first-round pick and a 2015 second-round pick
- Traded the rights to Kevin Jones, a 2015 second-round pick, and a 2016 first-round pick for the rights to Ronald Roberts and a 2016 third-round pick
- Traded the rights to Dahntay Jones for a 2016 second-round pick
- Traded the rights to Luke Harangody for John Jordan
- Traded the rights to Ty Walker for a 2016 fourth-round pick
So, for the rights to seven players and three picks, they’ve acquired Bhullar, Roberts, Jordan, and six picks. Their 2016 pick cache looks something like this, I believe:
- 1st: None
- 2nd: Own, Grand Rapids
- 3rd: Santa Cruz
- 4th: Own, Bakersield
- 5th: Own
In Walker, the 905 lose the rights to a 26-year-old 7-footer who averaged 5.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks in 58 games over the last two D-League seasons. He’s spent this season overseas, splitting time between AZS Koszalin and Kotwica Kolobrzeg in Poland and CSP Limoges in France. Over those three stops, he’s averaging 4.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks in 17.2 minutes, shooting 50 percent from the floor.
So, this is mostly nothing, but as far as turning nothing into something goes, it’s something.
