The Deal
Grizzlies get: Guard Troy Daniels
Hornets get: TBD
Memphis Grizzlies: B-
By this point in free agency, the Grizzlies had to start wondering whether adding a higher-priced free agent was worth waiving Vince Carter and stretching the $2 million guaranteed portion of his 2016-17 salary. There's no point in doing that for a player no better than Carter.
Instead, it appears Memphis will retain Carter and use most of the team's remaining $4 million in cap space to add Daniels as a floor-spacing option on their second unit. Daniels is a career 43 percent 3-point shooter who knocked down a robust 48.4 percent of his tries last season.
Given that shooting, it's troubling that Daniels has never been able to hold down a rotation spot. Size is a big part of that. Daniels is probably a bit smaller than his listed 6-foot-4, and he's incapable of running the point offensively, which typically leaves him defending bigger shooting guards. ESPN's real plus-minus rated Daniels 2.3 points per 100 possessions worse than an average player on defense, putting him below replacement level overall.
Still, if spotted correctly in the appropriate matchups, Daniels can help a team, and $10 million over three years is a reasonable price for his services.
Charlotte Hornets: B
From the Hornets' standpoint, the rationale for this trade is creating a modest trade exception. Because Daniels is getting a big enough raise that he's subject to rules regarding "base year compensation," the trade exception will only be for half his 2016-17 salary -- somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.6 million.