Trade reviews

Now that the trading-deadline dust has settled, and a mere fraction of the deals that were discussed got done, it's time to look at the winners and losers.

Keep in mind that trades can't always be judged by a strict comparison of players' stats or playing ability. One must also consider such factors as contracts and character, especially in a league where the salary cap dominates and the players most likely to be traded are those with personality flaws — like a tendency to get arrested or a fondness for threatening the life of one's coach.

DEAL: Jazz get Gordan Giricek from Orlando; Magic get DeShawn Stevenson and a conditional second-round draft pick.

JAZZ: Right up front, let's forget about the second-round draft pick. For every guy who makes it as a second-round pick, there are 20-plus guys who don't, so those picks can't be considered much of a factor. That leaves this as essentially a straight-up deal involving two guys whose stats are nearly indentical, with one exception: three-point shooting. Stevenson couldn't hit them, Giricek can, and the Jazz desperately need guys who can stretch a defense. Besides, there were reasons to believe Stevenson wouldn't want to stick around for several more years under coach Jerry Sloan, while Giricek is a restricted free agent, which means the Jazz can match any offer he gets. That gives the Jazz a little more roster control. Giricek isn't much of a defender, but then, neither was Stevenson.

MAGIC: They like Stevenson's youth (he's four years younger than Giricek) and athleticism, and they aren't in desperate need of three-point shooting (they rank sixth in 3-point percentage, as opposed to the Jazz's 25th).

DEAL: Jazz get Tom Gugliotta, two first-round picks and a second-round pick, and cash; Suns get Keon Clark and Ben Handlogten.

JAZZ: Only the most ardent pessimist would label this anything but a steal. Jazz gave away NOTHING — two guys out for the season and not under contract for next season, and got two first-round picks. Even if Gugliotta never plays a minute, this is a good deal, and the reported $3 million kicked in by the Suns will help defray the remaining cost of Gugliotta's hefty contract. Sure, there's nothing guaranteed about a first-round pick, as Quincy Lewis and Scott Padgett and Curtis Borchardt, among others, proved. But the Jazz have three first-rounders this summer, and the last time they had three picks in the first round they got Andrei Kirilenko. The draft is a gamble, yes, but three chances in 29 are better than one, by anybody's reckoning.