Evaluating offseason deals that have affected '07-08

Al Jefferson, a key piece of the Kevin Garnett trade, has been a bright spot in the Wolves' rough season. AP

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Patience is never easy, especially in the case of trades. Fans, players and coaches all want to believe that fortunes will change as soon as the old is swept out of the locker room and the new is handed a jersey. But as the Suns, Mavericks, Cavaliers and Bulls are finding out after pulling off major trade-deadline moves this season, the true measure of any deal is weeks, months or even years in the making.

But most deals don't happen at the deadline; they happen in the offseason, when the draft, free agency and the freedom from games allow for trades often focused beyond the immediate days ahead.

Last summer was no different. With about three-quarters of the current season complete, the results have started to come clear. Let's take a look at the seven deals that have had the greatest impact on this season and how each team has fared.

Deal: Boston obtained Kevin Garnett from Minnesota for Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff, Gerald Green and two first-round draft picks.

Celtics: Well, let's see ... there was the record-tying 27-3 start, the fact that Boston won more games by the end of December than it did all of last season, and now the possibility that Garnett will add a second MVP trophy to his mantle. So, yeah, it seems getting a player with career averages of 20.4 points, 11.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists who is still in his prime has worked out OK for the Celtics.

Timberwolves: Funny how reports leaked after the deal was completed that a slew of teams was willing to offer Minnesota so much more for Garnett than the Celtics did. What better way for a general manager to demonstrate how hard he is working to upgrade a team than by making a pitch for a former MVP? As poor a job as Timberwolves vice president Kevin McHale did in building around KG, he proved adept at dismantling the KG era. With fewer than 10 players in the league possessing the skills and charisma to make for a fair swap, getting the rapidly improving Jefferson, the quietly productive Gomes and a pair of first-rounders wasn't a bad return for a superstar who may well have bolted at the end of the season anyway.

Deal: Seattle traded Ray Allen and the No. 35 pick in the 2007 draft (Glen Davis) to Boston for Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak and the No. 5 pick in the 2007 draft (Jeff Green).

Celtics: Allen's offensive production alone would have made for some much-needed relief for Paul Pierce this season. That his addition meant Garnett would agree to a trade to Boston, thus pulling together three players who complement each other so well, was even more important. Assuming Allen remains healthy, the Celtics should be reaping the rewards of his presence well into late May.

Sonics: Now this is how you rebuild. Nab a top-five pick in what was considered one of the best drafts in years. Pick up a couple of useful veterans who will have value to any number of playoff contenders, and then ship them off for more salary-cap space (West and Szczerbiak were traded to Cleveland at the deadline). The immediate return hasn't been pretty, but for a club with a lot of digging to do in a brutally difficult conference, the haul it received for an eight-time All-Star was a good start.

Deal: Charlotte acquired Jason Richardson and the No. 36 pick in the 2007 draft (Jermareo Davidson) for the No. 8 pick in the 2007 draft (Brandan Wright).

Bobcats: The experienced personnel boss rightly would have assessed that the Bobcats had the core of a playoff contender, but not the complete foundation. The desperate legend, let's call him Michael Jordan, saw a team that could use more scoring and finished seven games out of the playoffs last season. The savvy personnel boss would have taken the opportunity to draft in the top 10 to select the defensive presence that would help provide the balance the Bobcats were -- and are -- sorely lacking, while further expanding a young talent base a la the Trail Blazers. The impatient legend rolled the dice on a poor-shooting scorer in the hopes that a playoff spot in the East wasn't so far away. At 21-39 through Tuesday, those playoffs aren't any closer.

Warriors: When you can shed $51 million in future salary obligations and you have a younger, cheaper and more accurate shooting-guard alternative in Monta Ellis, that has to qualify as a smart move, no? Ellis' numbers (19.2 points on 53.1 percent shooting) would seem to answer that question, considering Richardson is averaging 20.5 points on 43 percent shooting. Also, the Warriors are on pace to finish with 51 victories, nine more than last season. And with Wright, they have a 6-foot-10 prospect whose size can only help a team so desperate for frontcourt help that it broke Chris Webber out of mothballs.

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