Better Magic 'D', Kings' firepower

Updated: January 24, 2005, 5:46 PM ET

By Brian James | ESPN Insider

When a major trade is made in the NBA, it sends shock waves through not only the players directly involved, but also the organizations as well as the media and fans analyzing the positives and negatives of the deal.

The Magic's recent decision to send guard Cuttino Mobley (and reserve Michael Bradley) to the Kings for versatile guard Doug Christie certainly qualifies as a shocker.

Usually teams trade one problem for the other team's problem. Not very often do teams that are in the hunt for a top-four playoff seed (and thus first-round home-court advantage) make a deal like this unless they see "leaks in the dam." If those leaks are getting bigger by the week, it's best to repair them ASAP.

Mobley

Christie

In the best-case scenario, both teams benefit from a trade. Ask any player or coach, and no doubt both Mobley and Christie would be listed among the league's better players. Less than two weeks after the deal, each player already has had a major impact on his new squad.

Let's see how this trade breaks down on the court and why each team felt it needed to make this move.

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