29 Trades for the Detroit Pistons and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
By Cary Gahm
DENVER NUGGETS
Nuggets Send: $15,924,636
- Danilo Gallinari – $15,050,000
- Axel Toupane – $874,636
Pistons Send: $13,449,659
- Aron Baynes – $6,500,000
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – $3,678,319
- Reggie Bullock – $2,255,644
Nuggets New Lineup:
C – N. Jokic | A. Baynes | J. Nurkic
PF – K. Faried | D. Arthur | J. Lauvergne
SF – W. Barton | W. Chandler | J. Sampson
SG – K. Caldwell-Pope | G. Harris | J Murray
PG – E. Mudiay | J. Nelson | G. Harris
Pistons New Lineup:
C – A. Drummond | J. Leuer | B. Marjanovic
PF – M. Morris | J. Leuer | D. Gallinari | H. Ellenson
SF – T. Harris | D. Gallinari | M. Gbinije
SG – S. Johnson | D. Hilliard | A. Toupane
PG – R. Jackson | I. Smith | L. Brown*(R. McCallum)
Why the Nuggets do it:
Although Gallinari has been one of the top performers on this Denver team, he is 28 years old on a team that is four-to-five years from competing. As well, the Nuggets have a logjam of talent at the wing position. Moving Gallinari will open up more opportunity for Will Barton to thrive. Barton is coming off the best year of his career and had to share minutes with Gallinari and Chandler. This move would open up playing time for Barton, while bringing in a solid defender in Caldwell-Pope to mitigate Emmanuel Mudiay’s lack of defense. Add in Baynes and Bullock and Denver picks up several rotation pieces that share a closer developmental time line with their core.
Why the Pistons do it:
In this move the Pistons would pick up a pure scorer and lights out shooter. Over the last several years, Danilo Gallinari has developed into one of the most gifted scorers in the league. On this Pistons team he would have the ability to start at the small forward position, or come off the bench at the three and four. The ability to better manage his minutes would help him overcome some of the on going injuries he has faced in the last couple years do to overuse. With Stanley Johnson’s development in the shooting guard position, this trade could give the Pistons the pure scorer they need, while not missing a step defensively.
Potential Trade Outlook: Good Shot
Next: Golden State Warriors