Detroit Pistons: Drafting Jalen Johnson with the #6 pick in the NBA Draft
You are really going for potential here, as Johnson hasn’t played too much after quitting halfway through his only season at Duke.
You are also ignoring some of the red flags in favor of talent and Johnson has plenty of it as a combo forward who is a very good defender and can shoot the 3-ball.
You are projecting he’ll be closer to Kawhi Leonard than Danny Green and you had better be right.
- PG- Killian Hayes/Saben Lee
- SG- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander/Hamidou Diallo/Frank Jackson
- SF- Saddiq Bey/Josh Jackson
- PF- Jerami Grant/Jalen Johnson/Sekou Doumbouya
- C-Isaiah Stewart/Mason Plumlee
This is another versatile lineup that should be very good defensively but might lack some scoring in the second unit.
If Johnson works out, you can trade Jerami Grant and get another big platter of assets, so you are really playing the long game here and building your team around Gilgeous-Alexander.
You’d have two extra future picks, a dynamic and long team that is pretty well balanced and be in a position to re-sign SGA and add a ton of young talent around him.
This isn’t terrible, but I still think you are getting a million or so angry e-mails calling you lots of choice names for trading the #1 pick for a potential rental of SGA.
It’s a bold move but could pay off WAY down the road. Will fans have the patience?
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