What Changed Hands—and What Lasted
Memphis and Portland Trail Blazers produced broadly comparable realized value in the 2006-06-28 exchange: rights to Alexander Johnson for 2008 second-round pick (#33-Joey Dorsey). The exchange is more useful in hindsight when its components are separated instead of treated as one undifferentiated package. The durable basketball pieces included rights to Alexander Johnson and 2008 second-round pick (#33-Joey Dorsey). That matters because an even trade does not mean the teams received identical assets; it means the completed value never created enough separation to justify naming a winner. The C/C pairing captures that balance for Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers.
Why the Margin Stays Flat
Memphis received rights to Alexander Johnson and sent 2008 second-round pick (#33-Joey Dorsey) in the transaction with Portland Trail Blazers. Both sides generated usable but limited separation after the players, draft outcomes, contract context and identifiable downstream assets were weighed. The C/C grade pairing reflects comparable realized value rather than forced symmetry. Neither side produced enough durable advantage to support a directional result, so the trade is retained as a genuine even. The important distinction is between activity and advantage. A transaction can involve players, rights, picks, cash, or swap mechanics and still finish level if neither franchise turns those pieces into a clearly superior result. Here, the strongest evidence points to modest or limited realized value on both sides. That is why the verdict remains Even Trade rather than forcing a winner from a narrow difference in role, timing, or secondary asset value.
The Memphis Grizzlies Franchise's Return
For Memphis Grizzlies, the incoming side centered on rights to Alexander Johnson. Memphis received rights to Alexander Johnson and sent 2008 second-round pick (#33-Joey Dorsey) in the transaction with Portland Trail Blazers. Both sides generated usable but limited separation after the players, draft outcomes, contract context and identifiable downstream assets were weighed. The C/C grade pairing reflects comparable realized value rather than forced symmetry. Neither side produced enough durable advantage to support a directional result, so the trade is retained as a genuine even. That perspective gives the C grade a concrete foundation: the return is judged by what it actually produced for the franchise, not by the number of items listed in the transaction. Where the value was useful, it earns credit; where it stopped short of becoming a lasting advantage, the grade stops with it. That restraint is essential in an even result.
The Portland Trail Blazers' Return
For Portland Trail Blazers, the incoming side centered on 2008 second-round pick (#33-Joey Dorsey). The transaction paired Portland’s the 2008 second-round pick used on Joey Dorsey with Memphis Grizzlies’s rights to Alexander Johnson. Each team received a return of roughly comparable consequence after the transaction played out. The transaction belongs in the even bucket. The C grade therefore represents the same completed-value standard from the other direction. The counterpart did not need to mirror Memphis Grizzlies' return asset for asset; it only needed to land in the same broad value band. With neither side establishing durable separation, matching grades are more informative than inventing a winner from marginal differences.
Final Verdict
Even Trade. Memphis Grizzlies receive C, and Portland Trail Blazers receive C. The transaction produced different paths but comparable completed value. The case rests on the actual return—rights to Alexander Johnson and 2008 second-round pick (#33-Joey Dorsey)—and on the way each franchise's side played out after the exchange. Neither team generated enough extra production, downstream asset value, or strategic advantage to move the result out of the even tier. The matching grades are not a shortcut; they are the conclusion that best fits the realized outcomes.