The Portland Trail Blazers took their first step towards retooling around Damian Lillard after trading away starting small forward Josh Hart to the New York Knicks for Cam Reddish, Svi Mykhailuk, Ryan Arcidiacono and a protected future first-round pick. For a team trying to remain competitive as they look to maximize the remaining years of Lillard's career, this trade comes as a mild surprise.

Nevertheless, it's clear that the Blazers needed to swing a trade, with the team slowly drifting away from the playoff hunt. Following a strong start to the season, Portland suffered a bit of a drop-off as Lillard nursed injury woes, and they remain on the outside looking in on the playoff picture at the moment.

Meanwhile, fans should only look at the Knicks' acquisition of Josh Hart as a positive. Hart does plenty of little things that contribute to winning.

Still, there are plenty of factors to consider when determining which team came out on top in a specific trade. For this instance, however, this looks like a huge win-win; let's take a closer look as to why both teams should be happy with the spoils they received and hand out trade grades that reflect this fallout accordingly.

Grading the Josh Hart trade

Portland Trail Blazers

The Blazers acquired Josh Hart in the trade that sent CJ McCollum and Larry Nance Jr. to the New Orleans Pelicans. Hart was the player centerpiece of that trade, and on paper, he looked like a better defensive fit alongside Damian Lillard than McCollum was.

And for his part, Hart has remained a solid, two-way, hard-nosed player who takes on tough defensive assignments for the Blazers, and his rebounding is elite, especially for a 6'5 wing. In 64 games as a member of the Blazers, Hart tallied 11.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 4.0 dimes on 50.4 percent shooting from the field and 33.3 percent from deep – numbers that indicate just how multi-faceted his game is and how he is able to contribute without needing to do too much.

Given his skillset, it's not too difficult to imagine that the Blazers front office had a difficult time letting go of a piece as helpful as Josh Hart is. Alas, sometimes the difficult decision is the necessary one to make.

Hart could enter free agency at the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign (he has a player option worth $12.96 million for next year). The Blazers could have tried to re-sign the 6'5 wing, but it's clear that they're focused on retaining Jerami Grant, yet another impending free agent.

Re-signing both without dipping into the luxury tax would have been a tricky maneuver to pull off, so it makes sense for the Blazers to recoup what they can for Hart given where they are in the standings at the moment.

Cam Reddish may not be the most inspiring return ever; he has worn out his welcome with the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks, and there may be a bit of discrepancy between Reddish's true impact on the court and Reddish's perception of his own game.

But Reddish is only 23 years old, and perhaps Damian Lillard's work ethic and leadership rub off on the young forward. Reddish has shown explosive scoring ability before, and in the right environment, he could still turn out to be a quality player.

Moreover, the Blazers also nabbed a solid lottery-protected 2023 first-round pick from the Knicks which, if the season ended today, will end up as the 19th selection. The Blazers will be happy with the return they received, that's for sure.

Final Grade: A

New York Knicks

It's no secret that the Knicks are looking to bolster their wing depth. They have been one of the most prominent suitors for Toronto Raptors 3 and D forward OG Anunoby, and now, they acquired Josh Hart, someone who should slot in for Quentin Grimes in their starting lineup.

Trading away three pieces who weren't getting minutes in head coach Tom Thibodeau's rotation for Hart, someone whose skillset is sure to endear himself to the hard-nosed coach, is a huge win for the Knicks.

Josh Hart gives them another defender on the wing to throw at the elite perimeter scorers in the league, and his heady cutting and unteachable nose for the ball will prove invaluable to a Knicks team built around three ball-dominant players in Julius Randle, Jalen Brunson, and RJ Barrett.

Giving up a first-round pick in the teens for someone who could bolt in free agency in a few months' time should sting a little, but such is the price of becoming a better team. And the Knicks truly did become a better team after adding Josh Hart. This move may not be the most exciting, but for a team looking to cement themselves as playoff contenders, this is exactly the kind of move they should be looking to pull off.

Final Grade: B+