Enes Kanter had he been able to play college ball this year would have more then likely been on equal footing with Irving and Williams in terms of who should go number one so getting him gives them a top 3 player in this draft plus another top 10 pick to get a solid guy like Leonard. Beasley may leave when his contract expires but he also may want to resign in the place that resurrected his career. From everything I've seen he seems to like it in Minnesota. Plus they'd have Leonard as a back up plan
Kahn loves Darko but he was hit or miss all season and his production went down as the season progressed. Besides you need at least 3 or 4 big men in the rotation and Love is the only big man on the roster who is a legitimate everyday starter. Kanter adds depth and the possibility of turning into a great player.
You could easily be right, but we'll never know what he would have done at Kentucky. Probably would have slid in and replaced Cousins wonderfully but he also might have struggled in his freshman year.
Also, who's to say he'll still be there at #4? I know Utah doesn't need him but they also don't really need Knight or Walker, either. They could easily be looking to trade out as well and the team that moves into that spot may want Kanter. If Minnesota likes Kanter as much as you do, then maybe they should just stay at #2 to take him.
Again, why are you so certain Beasley will leave? And they'd still have the pick of Leonard who most scouts agree may not be a superstar but will be a starter in this league for years to come.
Have you seen the history of the T'Wolves the last twenty years when it comes to free agents? Players don't come there and few guys stay there. Beasley may not be a total headcase anymore but he's still a young guy who got his first taste of the NBA life in Miami. I have a hard time seeing him staying in a cold weather city with few of the attractions of the other major sports towns based on his personality and background. He and his agent have probably looked at this time in Minnesota as a brief exile/punishment/rehab period for him to prove himself after the way he entered the league and have been discussing his next move all year. And at his age with his range of skills, he could easily get a deal.
Plus the Pistons are desperate to deal Rip so they can't wait around for things that may or may not happen.
Good point.
That is an absolutely horrendous trade for both sides. The Lakers would be taking on an absurd amount of money with Rip, Charlie V, and Stuckey's new deal. Not to mention outside of Stuckey none of those guys really fit. Rip would get limited playing time as Kobe's back up and Charlie V plays absolutely ZERO defense. You can complain about Gasol's defense all you want but he is 100x better of a defender over Charlie V.
You can't say the Lakers are "taking on money" when they're moving an equal amount of salary with the same years. They've still got 2-3 years on each of those players, and Blake and Walton are basically dead money compared to the three guys they'd be getting from the Pistons. Those guys can actually play.
Rip would get plenty of playing time. He could be a starter if Kobe moves to SF or he'd be the first guy off the bench. Odom got 28 mins per game as the sixth-man. If Odom moves into the starting lineup to replace Gasol and both Shannon Brown and Matt Barnes are probably leaving, then there's tons of time for Hamilton.
As for the guys "fitting," Phil Jackson is gone so the system is changing. Hamilton could easily fit into that starting lineup or as the sixth-man, giving the Lakers the outside shooting that Artest never could. And if Villanueva isn't a good fit then you could possibly replace his name with Jason Maxiell in the trade. I picked Charlie of the two because he's got the worse contract so I'd assume he's the guy Detroit would want to move. But you can't really talk about "fits" right now when team is undergoing a major Phil-osophical change.
For the Pistons they'd be getting nothing outside of Gasol. Steve Blake or Will Bynum would end up being their starting point guard which would be horrible for them and Luke Walton as a 3 gets added to the Pistons deepest position on their roster. Not to mention Detroit is looking to dump salaries and with this deal they'd be taking on a shit ton of money. This deal makes almost no sense for either team.
Gasol is a pretty good get for in exchange for a guy who hates playing for you, a young guy who you may not be able to re-sign, and an overpaid free agent mistake. Having to take on the Blake and Walton contracts is just the price of doing business. I know they want to shed salary and that's why I said this isn't likely or the best deal they could make, but being able to flip borderline assets for an All-Star seven-footer is a pretty strong move. Gasol could be fairly dominate in the East. Blake and Walton aren't ideal but their combined cap hit is about what they're paying Villanueva now anyway.
But regardless, as I said, this was more about showing a possibility. You said there was "no way" the Pistons could get Gasol and I just wanted to show how it was possible based on the pieces. I think they fit a little better than you do, but I certainly believe there are better trades out there for both teams.
Stuckey is a restricted free agent and is more then likely going to be resigned. He had a great finish to this season and I expect him to have a huge year next season.
You're right, but who's to say that will be in Detroit? Everything I've read says Stuckey was pissed that they didn't extend him last summer. He also just changed agents to Leon Rose (LeBron, Melo, Paul's agent). When a guy moves to a powerhouse agent right before free agency, that's usually a major sign that he's planning to leave. You're right that he's a RFA and Detroit could match, but it'd be insane for them to be working so hard to dump one disgruntled guy in Hamilton only to create another with Stuckey by forcing him to stay. You don't want that anywhere on your roster, but from your starting point guard is the absolute worst.
