Poll: Which Piston Is Most Likely To Be Traded?
This wasn’t the result that Joe Dumars had hoped for when he signed Josh Smith to a four-year, $54MM contract, and Brandon Jennings to a three-year, $24MM contract, last summer. The Pistons currently have a record of 17-23, are third in the Central Division, and are tied with the Nets for the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. If they hold that seed and make it to the playoffs, they have a first-round meeting with either the Heat, or the Pacers to look forward to. That doesn’t bode well for a deep playoff run.
With the rest of the league trending towards smaller lineups, the Pistons went against the grain with their front court pairing of Andre Drummond (6-10), Greg Monroe (6-11), and Smith (6-9). Josh Smith’s shot selection has come under fire, and Jennings is more of a scorer at the point, than a true facilitator. Currently, the Pistons average 99.4 PPG, good for 20th in the league, while giving up 102.6 PPG, which ranks them 25th overall. The larger front court hasn’t translated into the defensive presence they had hoped for. The Pistons do average 45.1 RPG, which is good for 7th overall.
With the trade deadline less than five weeks away, and the on court results not what they hoped for, the Pistons are expected to be very active on the trade front. Some NBA insiders think the team should take a run at Rajon Rondo, if the Celtics change their minds and make him available. Detroit has a number of assets that may be of value to other teams. Here’s a quick breakdown of the four main players that they could try and use to change their make-up:
- Josh Smith, 28 years-old, is playing out of position at small forward, and would be better suited to play power forward. Smith is in the first year of a 4 year, $54MM deal. He’s averaging 15.5 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 3.3 APG. His slash line is: .406/.423/.592.
- Greg Monroe, 23 years-old, earning $4,086,454 MM, and set to become a restricted free agent after the season. Monroe is averaging 14.4 PPG, and 8.8 RPG. His slash line is: .503/.000/.632.
- Andre Drummond is only 20 years-old, earning $2,462,400 MM this year, and set to make $2,568,360 MM next season. He also has a team option for 2015-2016, of $3,272,091 MM. Drummond’s numbers are: 12.6 PPG, 12.7 RPG, and 1.8 BPG. His slash line is: .601/.000/.379.
- Brandon Jennings, 24 years-old, and just signed to a 3 year, $24 MM deal. He’s the team’s leading scorer at 16.4 PPG, and also leads them in assists, with 8.4 APG. His slash line is: .374/.340/.781.
The Pistons can choose to stand pat, but could find themselves in a similar position next season. In addition, Monroe can leave as a restricted free agent, with the team getting nothing in return. So the Pistons have some difficult decisions to make. They could trade Monroe, and hope to get an impact player, or a first-round draft choice in return, though teams might be hesitant to deal a pick for a player they could lose after the year. Dumars could admit that signing Smith was a mistake, and attempt to deal him to a team that can let him return to his natural position, but that contract will be difficult to move. They could try and trade Jennings, similar to what they did with Brandon Knight, and attempt to upgrade at the point. Jennings’ contract isn’t unmovable, and as a young player under team control for two more years, he has value. The least likely to be moved would seem to be Drummond, who is under contract at a reasonable salary for two more seasons.
The Pistons also have other assets they could use to sweeten any potential deal. They could have a decent first-round selection this year, if they fail to make the playoffs. The Pistons keep their pick if they land in the first eight picks. If they make the playoffs, or if the pick falls between say, 9-14, then the pick goes to the Bobcats. They also have Rodney Stuckey, who is making $8.5 MM in the final year of his deal, as well as Charlie Villanueva‘s expiring $8.58 MM deal. So, let us know which of the four starters mentioned you think is most likely to leave Detroit by the February 20th trade deadline, and fill us in on your choice in the comments.
Central Notes: Pacers, Bucks, Pistons
The Pistons have some tough choices to make as the February trade deadline approaches, writes Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News. Even though Detroit has Brandon Jennings, he’s not necessarily viewed as a long-term option at point guard and they could theoretically make a step-up at the position like they did when they swapped Brandon Knight for Jennings. More out of the Central Division..
- The Pacers currently have the best record in the NBA at 32-7, but there are still a number of questions about the team, writes, Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders.com. Brigham thinks that Danny Granger is more likely to stay with the team through the end of the season than be traded. In addition to wanting to see what a healthy Granger can provide, the team will need the cap space his expiring deal will provide in order to try and resign Lance Stephenson.
- The Pacers want to keep Stephenson beyond this season, but the potential luxury tax hit will be a sticking point, Brigham writes. The Pacers are afraid that his play this season may take Stephenson out of their price range this summer. The team figures to have $8MM-$9MM available to offer him this offseason, without sending them into luxury tax territory. There’s a chance that Stephenson might garner an offer in the $11MM-$12MM range. If that happens, the Pacers will have a difficult decision to make.
- The Pacers should consider taking a chance on Andrew Bynum, Brigham argues. Not only to keep him from potentially joining the Heat, but also, if he could find the form that made him an all-star, he would be a major asset for a team contending for a title.
- Gary Neal didn’t expect the Bucks to be struggling this much when he signed in the offseason, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinal. Neal stated, “I didn’t know the team would struggle in a manner of being 7-33 (so far 7-32) and I would be getting DNPs. I’m healthy. My family is healthy. It is what it is.“
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Eastern Notes: Pistons, Afflalo, Oden, Bennett
Detroit’s “Big Three” of Greg Monroe, Josh Smith, and Andre Drummond haven’t been as successful as Joe Dumars anticipated writes Zach Lowe of Grantland. His offseason signing of Smith to a four-year, $54MM contract has resulted in a 16-22 record and has them currently sitting as the seventh seed in the weak Eastern Conference, just a half a game up on the Nets in the playoff race. This underachieving calls into question Monroe’s future with the team, with his contract set to expire after the season. The other alternative according to Lowe, is to try and find a taker for Smith, no easy feat considering the size of his deal. Smith said “It’s easy to use me as a scapegoat“, when speaking to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Zillgitt opines that improved shot selection from Smith would go a long way toward improving the team.
Some other notes from around the Eastern Conference:
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel explores the idea of the Magic possibly trading Arron Afflalo. He says the main difficulty in making a trade is that teams want to get him for pennies on the dollar, and aren’t willing to sacrifice young players or draft picks, which would be the primary goal if a trade was made.
- Greg Oden made his return to the hardwood this evening for the Heat, his first action since 2009, writes Joseph White of the Associated Press. His performance going forward will have a direct bearing on the possibility of the Heat signing Andrew Bynum.
- The Cavaliers’ struggling number one overall pick, Anthony Bennett, stated he would be open to playing in the D-League, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer. Bennett is averaging 2.4 PPG in just 10.4 MPG. His playing time doesn’t look likely to increase any time soon with the recent acquisition of Luol Deng. A stint in the D-League, and the chance to log some heavy minutes to get himself going might be just what Bennett needs. Despite Bennett’s willingness to take a trip to the D-League, and the Cavs having had discussions about the move, the team doesn’t have any immediate plans to send him, writes Jason Lloyd of Akron Beacon Journal.
- The Cavaliers have assigned guard/forward Carrick Felix to the Canton Charge, their D-League affiliate, according to a press release. Felix played in six games for the Cavs this season, and averaged 1.5 PPG. In a previous three game stint with the Charge, he averaged 9.3 PPG and 5.3 RPG.
Sixers Looking For First-Round Picks In Trades
The Sixers are going to be one of the more heavily talked about teams leading up to the February 20th trade deadline. The reason for that is their three prime trade assets: Thaddeus Young, Evan Turner, and Spencer Hawes. The Sixers, though, won’t be willing to take back a “lesser player” in any deal without receiving a first-round pick, preferably from the upcoming 2014 draft, in return, tweeted Tom Moore of Philly Burbs.com. With the premium that most teams place on first-round picks, especially with the upcoming draft looking to be one of the strongest and deepest in years, this could have a negative effect on the Sixers chances to jump start their rebuilding process.
Young is obviously the most desirable asset for other teams, talent-wise. The 25 year-old forward is averaging 17.8 PPG and 6.6 RPG with a slash line of .499/.393/.719. He has expressed his desire not to be part of a rebuilding process and is the kind of player that could be a major factor on a contending team. He’s not a player that can carry a franchise, but paired with another star player or two, can be a difference maker. He has one more year on his contract after this one, with a player option for 2015/2016. His salary of $8,850,000 this season and $9,410,870 the next, is reasonable, but a difficult one to trade without having to take back similar dollars in return. With the Sixers looking to rebuild, they would most likely prefer an expiring deal, plus a first-round pick.
The other two players mentioned also have value, both being productive and just 25 years old. Turner is currently averaging 18.9 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 3.9 APG. His slash line is: .438/.293/.816. He’s in the final year of his deal and earning $6,679,867. Hawes is contributing 14.3 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and 1.5 BPG, and a line of .485/.434/.775. He’s also on an expiring contract which pays him $6,500,000. Nice pieces for contending teams, but with expiring contracts not being deemed as valuable as in the past, they would fetch a lesser return than trading Young.
The Sixers desire for a first-round pick in return for trading these players for non-stars is a logical one. The team is in full-on rebuilding mode, and want to capitalize on the strength of the upcoming draft. They have two potential building blocks in Michael Carter-Williams and Nerlens Noel. Adding another young building block or two could put them into the weak Eastern Conference playoff picture next season. Even if they fall short next year, another lottery trip could set them up for a successful future run for years to come. Plus, by shedding more salaries, they could potentially be players for a free-agent score if they so chose. So any general managers should be prepared to sacrifice draft picks if they want to acquire one of the Sixers available players.
Western Notes: Fisher, Jackson, Turkoglu
Derek Fisher is breathing a little easier today with the news that the judge, Huey Cotton, who is presiding over Billy Hunter’s wrongful termination lawsuit had dismissed most of the allegations against Fisher, and all against his former business manager, Jamie Wior, writes Ken Berger of CBS Sports.com. Hunter had alleged that the two conspired to oust him and seize control of the NBPA during and after the 2011 lockout. Cotton ruled that Hunter’s claims against Fisher regarding breach of contract and intentional interference with contractual relations may go forward, but struck 12 other allegations against the former NBPA president from the lawsuit, including defamation. The judge also ruled that Hunter must pay legal fees for Fisher and Wior related to the claims that were dismissed. The rest of Hunter’s lawsuit is cleared to continue against the NBPA.
Here’s some other notes from around the Western Conference:
- Pierre Jackson still hasn’t been able to reach a deal with the Pelicans, who hold his rights after drafting him 42nd overall in last year’s draft. Not long before Jrue Holiday was ruled out indefinitely with a stress fracture in his right tibia on January 10th, Jackson’s representatives requested and received permission to explore trade opportunities. Jackson’s agents, who also represent Holiday, met with Pelicans general manager Dell Demps this week, but Jackson still doesn’t have a contract with the team. This has Jackson and his camp disappointed, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Jackson is currently the D-League’s second-leading scorer at 29.9 PPG, and feels his production warrants some NBA playing time.
- The Warriors will be keeping MarShon Brooks, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. Brooks was acquired as a part of today’s three-team trade involving Boston and Miami. An earlier tweet by Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe had indicated the team might waive Brooks.
- Spurs guard Nando De Colo‘s agent denied reports that the player was attempting to return to Europe and play for Fenerbahce, as he told French newspaper L’Equipe (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). De Colo is currently averaging 2.0 PPG in limited action.
- The Clippers continue to have interest in Sasha Vujacic even as they near a deal with Hedo Turkoglu, according to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.
Western Notes: Cuban, Fredette, J.R. Smith
With just 39 days left until the trade deadline, the Mavericks say they are cool on the idea of signing Andrew Bynum, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. It’s not a financial issue, but rather that the team doesn’t need an upgrade at center in the light of the recent play of Samuel Dalembert. That could change if Dalembert cannot maintain consistent production. Team owner Mark Cuban also says the team will be exploring other deals, but he adds that they are restricted by the financial constraints of the collective bargaining agreement. When asked if that meant the “Bank of Cuban” is open, he said: “It’s always been open. Even on Saturdays and Sundays,” and, “We’re always wide-open. We’ll do the deal that we need to do to accomplish what we need to accomplish.”
Some more notes from around the Western Conference:
- In response to George Karl‘s suggestion that the Spurs trade for J.R. Smith, a staff member of the Spurs joked, “Does Karl have any other terrific ideas such as, oh, bringing back Dennis Rodman to work in marketing?” Despite that, Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express News writes that it might not be that far-fetched, but it wouldn’t make sense for this season.
- The Jazz recalled rookies Rudy Gobert and Ian Clark from their D-League assignment in Bakersfield, tweets Jody Genessy of the Deseret News.
- Jimmer Fredette is a new player following the Kings’ trade for Rudy Gay now that he is getting regular minutes as the backup point guard, writes Matt Kawahara of The Sacramento Bee.
Bulls Notes: Dunleavy, Luxury Tax, Martin
When Mike Dunleavy signed with the Bulls last offseason, he assumed he was signing on for an off-the-bench role on a contending team. Quite a bit has changed with the season-ending injury to Derrick Rose and the recent trade of Luol Deng. Dunleavy is doing his best to adapt to his new role as a starter writes K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. Here’s more on the Bulls:
- The Deng trade to the Cavaliers, the possibility of further trades, and the potential use of the amnesty clause on Carlos Boozer after the season has led to speculation the team is heading into a rebuilding phase. Both executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson and general manager Gar Forman discounted that assertion. Instead, they countered with the notion that the team was simply retooling. This retooling will be aided by the Bulls getting themselves out of paying the luxury tax for this season, and the Bulls fully intend to put the money right back into the team, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun Times.
- Cowley also notes that Cartier Martin, who was recently signed to a 10-day contract, had a strong debut for the team. In 26 minutes of action off the bench, Martin contributed 11 points and made four-out-of-five shots from the field. Martin said he had several options with other NBA teams but thought the Bulls were the best fit for him.
- Another bit from Cowley is that with the recent speculation that the Knicks would pursue coach Tom Thibodeau, Bobcats coach Steve Clifford, a former assistant along with Thibodeau for the Knicks and Rockets, expressed that he didn’t believe Thibodeau would be fazed by participating in the rebuilding or retooling of the team. Thibodeau stated in response to the Knicks rumors: “That stuff is ridiculous. First I was being traded. … I couldn’t care less about that stuff. I love the fighting spirit of this team. That’s all I’m thinking about.“
Suns Not Panicking In Wake Of Bledsoe Injury
The Suns were one of the biggest surprise teams of the year, having sprinted out of the gate to a 19-11 record in the tough Western Conference. Then came the crushing injury to star point guard Eric Bledsoe. Now looking at life without his 18.0 PPG and 5.8 APG, the organization is at a crossroads.
Suns first-year GM Ryan McDonough says the organization isn’t panicking, writes Paul Flannery of SB nation. This is despite the fact the team has lost four of the six games it has played since losing Bledsoe for the season. Even prior to losing Bledsoe, the team didn’t have much rotation depth and that will only be highlighted more by having to fill the 33.5 MPG that the point guard averaged. Ishmael Smith and Leandro Barbosa will now be called on to contribute meaningful minutes. The Suns could possibly swing a deal, but according to McDonough, it will have to be the right one for the organization’s plans.
The team would be willing to make a trade if the right younger player comes along. As for what constitutes the right player, the GM stated they would prioritize acquiring players that would help them in both the short-term as well as long-term. Stopgap players wouldn’t appear to be an option. They don’t want to take on a veteran’s salary just to have to try and unload it at a later date. McDonough doesn’t want the team to sacrifice its financial flexibility to make a playoff run this season.
This is especially prudent considering the Suns want to retain Bledsoe, who becomes a restricted free agent after the season. McDonough expressed confidence the team would be able to retain Bledsoe, though it is unclear how large a contract the young point guard would seek. His pre-injury performance certainly set him up for a big payday, but questions about his recovery may impact the amount teams are willing to offer. Phoenix will have the right to match any offer that Bledsoe receives.
In addition to prioritizing getting Bledsoe back into the fold, the team will also have some extra cap space available to pursue other free agents. McDonough stated that he expected the Suns to be major players in the free agent market after the season.
On top of their financial flexibility, the Suns could have up to four first round picks this year. They hold their own, plus picks from the Timberwolves (top-13 protected), Wizards (top-12 protected) and Pacers (lottery protected). They also have another on the way from the Lakers in 2015 that’s top-five protected. McDonough also mentioned that it was unlikely that the Suns would use all four picks this year. They could potentially trade one or more of those picks to either move up in the draft, or possibly as a sweetener to acquire a player.
It seems like the first-year general manager has a plan and wishes to stick to it. If he can, the Suns outlook is bright. Making the playoffs this season without blowing up the future would be icing on the cake.
Eastern Notes: Deng, Siva, Garnett, Woodson
With the recent acquisition of Luol Deng revitalizing the Cavaliers, the biggest question remaining is whether or not he is just a short-term rental, or a long-term building block for the franchise. If he does in fact re-sign with Cleveland, would that prohibit the Cavaliers from bringing back LeBron James or another star player? Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal thinks that, theoretically, the team could fit both players in under the salary cap, but it will take some work and creativity on the team’s part.
A few other notes from around the Eastern Conference:
- Petyon Siva may be on his way back to the Pistons from the D-League, according to his Twitter feed. The rookie has been on D-League assignment since December 26th.
- Kevin Garnett of the Nets expressed his unhappiness with being forced to log heavy minutes at center in the wake of the season ending injury to Brook Lopez, writes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee.
- With the recent speculation that the Knicks will pursue the still-under-contract Tom Thibodeau, Mike Lupica of The New York Daily News opines that current Knicks coach Mike Woodson is more the solution than the problem.