Orlando sent Cuttino Mobley and Michael Bradley to Sacramento for Doug Christie.
On January 10, 2005, the Magic sent Cuttino Mobley and Michael Bradley to Sacramento in exchange for Doug Christie. Orlando had added Mobley before the season, so the move quickly altered its guard rotation again. Christie brought a defensive résumé from Sacramento's successful teams, but was an older player changing clubs midway through the season. The Kings instead acquired a more active scorer in Mobley and a second player in Bradley.
Christie had supplied perimeter defense and playmaking to Sacramento's earlier playoff groups, but his Orlando stint was brief and affected by physical problems. The Magic didn't get the long run of effective wing play that had made him desirable. Their D- grade reflects the difference between acquiring a well-regarded veteran name and receiving meaningful production from that player after the exchange. Moving Mobley was a real cost to Orlando's immediate offense.
Mobley started 43 games for the Kings in the rest of 2004-05 and averaged 16.6 points per game. His shooting immediately mattered more to Sacramento's playoff push than Christie's short Orlando contribution did for the Magic. Bradley wasn't a long-term Kings fixture and was included in the club's later Chris Webber trade, so he shouldn't be mistaken for another lasting core player. The C grade credits the useful Mobley stint while acknowledging that the return was temporary.
Kings Win. Sacramento receives C after obtaining 43 starts and 16.6 points per game from Cuttino Mobley, plus Bradley as a movable roster piece. Orlando grades D- for the brief Doug Christie experiment. Both clubs made a midseason change, but the Kings received the stronger immediate basketball return.