29 Trades for the Detroit Pistons and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
By Cary Gahm
BROOKLYN NETS
Nets Send: $2,957,880
- Caris LeVert – $1,562,280
- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson – $1,395,600
- 2020 1st Round Pick
Pistons Send: $3,678,319
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – $3,678,319
Nets New Lineup:
C – B. Lopez | L. Scola | J. Hamilton
PF – L. Scola | T. Booker | C. McCullough | A. Bennett
SF – B. Bogdanovic | S. Kilpatrick | B. Beech
SG – K. Caldwell-Pope | J. Harris | Y. Farrell
PG – J. Lin | R. Foye | G. Vasquez
Pistons New Lineup:
C – A. Drummond | A. Baynes | B. Marjanovic
PF – M. Morris | J. Leuer | H. Ellenson
SF – T. Harris | B. Bogdanovic | R. Bullock
SG – S. Johnson | R. Hollis-Jefferson | M. Gbinije
PG – R. Jackson | I. Smith | L. Brown*(R. McCallum)
Why the Nets do it:
Currently, Brooklyn has very few options available at the shooting guard position and no first round draft picks for the foreseeable future. Even though they currently hold more cap space than any other team in the league and a bucket of cash to spend next year, Brooklyn isn’t looking to be very attractive as a free agent destination next summer. There best option is to find a solid restricted free agent and match any offer. Enter Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
With this trade the Nets pick up Caldwell-Pope and the right to match any offer he gets next season. Giving up LeVert and Hollis-Jefferson is worth the risk, and throwing in a draft pick just seem to make sense, considering by that point they won’t even remember what attending a draft feels like anyway.
Why the Pistons do it:
If the Pistons decide that a near-max offer to Caldwell-Pope and flirting with the luxury tax is just too much, then this trade might be exactly what they are looking for. This trade would absolutely signal a changing of the “shooting” guard, giving the rains to Stanley Johnson.
In Hollis-Jefferson the Pistons get a poor-man’s version of Caldwell-Pope. However, he can be a demon defensively, and he is fantastic in transition. What he lacks in polish he makes up for in perspiration. With his potential, he could still turn into a great piece for the Pistons future.
Add in the potential of length and shooting from former Michigan Wolverine, Caris LeVert and a pick several years from now, and it is looking like this trade could end well for the Pistons.
Potential Trade Outlook: Good Shot
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