Fourth-year Bulls point guard/wing Kris Dunn will be a restricted free agent this summer, and after a competent defensive showing during his 2019/20 tenure with the club, he may be an appealing, affordable bench addition for a number of teams on the market, according to Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago. Though Chicago tried to move Dunn as recently as August 2019, Schaefer suggests that he may be worth keeping around.
Schaefer considers Dunn potentially netting an annual price tag in the range of $8-11MM this summer. The former No. 5 pick’s all-defense, almost-no-offense game may make him a better fit for a contender (the Clippers are reported to have interest in adding him) than for a rebuilding team like the Bulls.
There’s more out of the Central Division:
- Sekou Doumbouya, the No. 15 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, became a more essential piece of the Pistons rotation than they had initially anticipated due to a rash of injuries, as Pistons.com writer Keith Langlois details. The 6’8″ forward out of France appeared in 38 games during the abbreviated 2019/20 season for Detroit.
- Bucks All-Star wing Khris Middleton was in the midst of a spectacular year when play was paused amidst the escalating COVID-19 pandemic, according to Eric Woodyard of ESPN. Middleton had a chance to join rarefied air with a potential 50/40/90 season in play. He was averaging 21.2 PPG for the 53-12 Bucks. Middleton was shooting 49.88% from the field, 41.8% from deep and 90.8% from the charity stripe. “I’ve never been on pace for 50/40/90,” he told Woodyard. “That’s just an elite scorer and elite shooter with those type numbers and efficiency.”
- While speaking with his former Olympic teammate Dwyane Wade on Instagram Live, Trail Blazers power forward Carmelo Anthony claims he would have won multiple NBA championships had the Pistons drafted him instead of Darko Milicic with the No. 2 pick in 2003, as Nicola Lupo of Sportando notes. Anthony, a 10-time All-Star, was drafted by Denver with the No. 3 pick out of Syracuse. The Pistons went to two straight NBA Finals in 2004 and 2005, winning the title in ’04.
Pistons should trade Blake Griffin and a pair of second rounders for Julius Randle, DSJ and Elfrid Payton.
This move clears Griffins enormous contract off the books and gives them a bunch of younger and more tradable players. Then they are going to most likely have a pick around 5-10, Id take James Wiseman if he’s available or otherwise Cole Anthony, Tyrese Halliburton or Killian Hayes.
Then build around
1. ?
2. Luke Kennard
3. Sekoyu Doumbouya
4. Julius Randle
5. ?
Use the draft to fill out either the PG or C position, and use FA to fill out the position you don’t draft with a vet on a 1 or 2 year deal. For Pg you already have Derrick Roses so for C you have Hassan Whiteside, Tristan Thompson, Mason Plumblee and Robin Lopez.
That’s not a horrible idea for either team. Detroit needs a full on rebuild. New York needs a big name star. And if they can get one without giving up their core, all the better. I would think that Kevin Knox would probably need to be added for Detroit though. He has no future in NY, but still has enough youth and upside to be worth it for the Pistons.
New York get themselves a star in Griffin but although he’s not going to give them the numbers he put up in his prime he will be solid.
I still think the Knicks see something in Knox and would want to keep him which is fine cause the Pistons would be getting back Randle and DSJ who are both young and get rid of Griffins huge deal.
Pistons pick is expected to be 5th with GSW, Cavs, Hawks and Wolves ahead of them. If GSW pass on Wiseman, I doubt Hawks or Cavs take him which leaves the Wolves. Personally I think Avdija, Okoror and Okungwu are all better fits for the Wolves. If Wiseman does drop to 5 and the Pistons take him and they make this trade I thinks it’s a major boost for their rebuild.
1. DRose
2. Kennard
3. Doumbouya
4. Randle
5. Wiseman
Is a solid core to start a rebuild with DSJ and Bruce Brown off the bench.
Kris Dunn is not making that much.
Especially if the bulls don’t extend an offer.
Pistons may have won MORE championships drafting Dwayne Wade instead of Darko!
Billups DWade Prince RWallace BWallace would’ve been tough with Rip Hamilton on the bench, that’s a dynasty that would’ve lasted years..
Or nuggets may have won drafting d wade instead of carmelo
Don’t disrespect Melo like that. He use to ball out for the Nuggets hard.
Pistons gonna be bad for a couple years, at least, before they make that big leap to….
mediocre.
I have to say, I feel bad for a team like the Bucks, where it was shaping up to be something very special. They’re all millionaires playing a game, but it’s still a lifetimes worth of work they put in to have chance…
I was thinking about this the other day. Not that I was ready to hand them the trophy based on best regular season record, but rather if this would have been their best chance to win it all. Anything could happen before next year, major injury(ies)…
I really believed the Cassell/Allen/Robinson/Thomas bunch had a real shot to win one..and then they basically blew up the team after getting so close the year before.