NBA teams have been busy shuffling the deck ahead of the 2018 NBA draft, and we should expect the action to continue into and beyond the league's annual amateur selection process.
In some cases, predraft moves signal a desire to move up or down in the order. In others, big-picture, franchise-altering machinations are at work. Example: The Portland Trail Blazers pulled off a deal that sent away a piece of their core in Nicolas Batum, which may be an admission that LaMarcus Aldridge's days in Rip City are numbered.
Picks, players and future considerations are always on the move this time of year, and Thursday night was no different.
There were plenty of deals on draft night, which means we have ample opportunities to pass hasty judgment, which is always fun. Grading deals so soon after they're completed can be dangerous, especially when one move is only part of a larger plan. But we'll do what we can to lay out the pros and cons of each deal while handing out evaluations for both sides.