Grade the trade: Pistons unload potential to the Raptors in proposed deal

Pistons unload potential to the Raptors in proposed deal

Count me as someone who wouldn’t be extremely disappointed to see the backs of Marvin Bagley III and Killian Hayes.

MBIII has yet to prove he can stay healthy enough in a season to make a real impact, and he could be buried on the depth chart anyway while making $12.5 million in each of the next two seasons.

Hayes has shown what he can do well (pass, defend) and what he can’t (score) but is still only just 21, so it would be a bitter pill to swallow for Detroit, who would be giving up on a guy who they used a 7th pick on.

The return could potentially help the Pistons, as they do need a veteran power forward and they’d be getting two of them in this deal. But Thaddeus Young  is 35-years-old and in the twilight of his career. He was a very good do-it-all forward at one point (averaging 18 points and six rebounds while playing good defense) but he played sparingly in just 54 games last season, so is hardly a guy you could count on in the rotation.

Otto Porter Jr. is only 30 and is a career 40 percent shooter from long range, but he’s rarely healthy, as he has played 8, 63, 28 and 14 games in his last four seasons. If healthy, he could be in the Pistons’ rotation next season, but that’s a big if.

Flynn would be buried in the depth chart and unlikely to play unless he could beat out Marcus Sasser for minutes at the final guard spot.

Second-round picks barely register as assets these days, as there are always ways to get them, but given that Detroit is still hamstrung by the first-round pick they owe the Knicks, having some extra second rounders can’t hurt.

So the real return for Detroit here would be cap space, as all three of the players they are taking on are on expiring deals, so they’d get out from MBIII’s second year and not have to worry about paying Killian Hayes in the future.

If at least one of the power forwards coming back was a healthy lock to make the rotation, this would be a slam dunk for the Pistons, but without that guarantee, it’s a little less palatable, though it would sort out the roster logjam at guard and center.

Unfortunately, if the Pistons want to get off these two guys, this might be the best they can do, as few teams are going to want to take on $20 million of two underperforming players. It’s not great for Detroit, but gives them some possible help at power forward and future financial flexibility.

Grade: B-