3. Hollywood Rose
If Rose wants to win a championship, look no further than the other Los Angeles team. The Lakers full of glamor could use a punch off the bench, despite having the best record in the West. They rank 13th in bench scoring at 37.4 points per game.
Rose would figure to take Kyle Kuzma‘s minutes as the Lakers would opt to go small with their bench. It would give Jared Dudley a bump in minutes alongside Dwight Howard as the Lakers would go smaller on the wing with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso factoring into a smaller lineup.
It’s an odd predicament for the Lakers, given Rob Pelinka’s belief in Kuzma but he hasn’t played well off the bench. His assist (11.5% last season to 6.2% this season) and rebounding rates have dropped while on the same usage rate (23.7%). His true shooting percentage (53.2%) has dipped though his 3-point percentage has bumped up to 34.2% with a decrease of 1.2 shots per game from range.
Detroit would give Kuzma an opportunity to play on the wing and gain a consistent shot. As the Pistons begin to re-tool, he could be an important insurance piece in case Griffin’s injury issues ramp up again.
In addition to Kuzma, DeMarcus Cousins and Troy Daniels would free up an extra $5.1 million in salary cap space. That’ll add to the fact the Pistons only have $51 million in guaranteed money on the books for next season.