Piston off Jimmy. Heat/Wolves/Pistons/Lakers/Blazers

[nykballa2k4]

For this offering, Detroit takes a chance on getting Jimmy to want to stay in MoTown

Heat trade Butler, K Johnson, Josh Richardson, Rozier
get Randle, Hardaway, Vincent, NAW
rationale:
Jimmy's leverage with Miami comes from Beal willing to go to Miami. Heat at the ones holding off the deal. Other teams might not have that problem since they can say in earnest - "look, there is nothing i can do"

Heat upgrade frontcourt talent without adding long contracts. Immediate cap savings(13M). about 20M expiring contracts (even if Randle opts in) and Vincent has already been a fit for the team. This could expand to include other players/other teams (DR+Vincent for McCullum etc) but a) I maxed the checker, b) this is enough food for thought as it is.
It would be cool to have Tim Hardaway's kid to play on his dads most prominent team (both also played for Dallas). He would be a good off-the-bench scoring option. NAW is a good hustle player and should be helpful in general as a role player.
Heat would really be 15-strong after this one.

Wolves trade Randle, NAW, Conley, DET '25
get Simons, Vandy, Johnson, DET '27, 2 SRP from LAL (both 2025)
rationale: Randle is not working with the current personnel. I think the wolves want to give more time to Naz. Vandy returns to familiar role as a backup in Minni. Johnson is an affordable player on a team friendly contract. Simons gives an immediate back court scoring option and playmaker. Donte can be off the ball (where he is better) and I think the Wolves will bounce back nicely. Det '27 has some variance possibilities, so that could be worth something. Adding two SRP in this draft means either pieces to move in a trade, or cheap roster fillers.


Pistons trade THjr, Harris, remove protections 2025, 2 SRP(same ones implicated in the protections), 2027 unprotected
get Butler, Conley, right to swap FRP with LAL 2026

Rationale Jimmy: Once traded, it's no longer the team you are on that has any means to trade you to your preferred destination. Unless Beal says he wants to go to DET, there is really nothing that can be done. Pistons can offer an extension, though maybe not at the max and have an unselfish superstar in Cade so he can be more of a focal point. Aside from the state taxes, this destination may be his best option.

Rationale Pistons: Not quite all-in, but certainly semi-in. Cade and Jimmy could compete with the elite of the east. Maybe could use more front court depth, but still have assets to do that. Conley is literally on his last legs, but as a reserve can be a good vet depth piece. Another spin here could be Conley + for someone like Brogdon, but I will leave that hanging for now.

Lakers trade Vincent, Vandy, Rui, 2026 swap(with DET), last 2 SRP available
get Tobias Harris, Timelord, Josh Richardson
rationale: off the gate, this is my least favorite part of the trade. Lakers are simply getting too much. I know dipping into their FRP's isn't an option unless I am bringing home a superstar, and I know that attaching positive players like Reeves, Kenecht are going to cause an uproar. I feel Lakers value both more than they actually are worth in a trade. So this is the best I can do.
Harris fits like a glove next to LeBron and Davis. Adds spacing an all around abilities on offense. Better than Rui on defense. TimeLord adds a center who, when healthy, can block shots and be disruptive. Josh Richardson is always a useful player where ever he goes. Better than Cam Reddish.

Blazers trade
Simons, TimeLord
get Rozier, Rui, DET 2025 unprotected, two SRP (the ones that were implicated in the protected FRP from DET)
rationale: good value for two redundant pieces. Two incoming players could have some re-sale value by 2/6.

[JRoy]

POR has to say yes.

[BBallFreak]

I'm not a Randle guy and with the emergence of Kal'el Ware playing next to Bam, I think our main need is probably at the point. I don't see Vincent as the guy to fix that position for us.

[shrink]

Wolves trade Randle, NAW, Conley, DET '25
get Simons, Vandy, Johnson, DET '27, 2 SRP from LAL (both 2025)
rationale: Randle is not working with the current personnel. I think the wolves want to give more time to Naz. Vandy returns to familiar role as a backup in Minni. Johnson is an affordable player on a team friendly contract. Simons gives an immediate back court scoring option and playmaker. Donte can be off the ball (where he is better) and I think the Wolves will bounce back nicely. Det '27 has some variance possibilities, so that could be worth something. Adding two SRP in this draft means either pieces to move in a trade, or cheap roster fillers.

I don’t see this for MIN. I have Randle more valuable than Simons, NAW > oft-injured Vanderbilt, and Conley > undrafted K Johnson. I really like the DET pick in the loaded 2025 draft - the 2027 and a couple 2nds don’t make up the gap. MIN could use a starting point guard, especially if Mike Conley is in the deal. I don’t think that’s Simon’s best position - he strikes me as an undersized SG, and MIN is full of SG’s. MIN also needs a back up center - we used a trimmed down Luka Garza in the first quarter today!

I could see Randle as part of MIA’s Jimmy return, maybe through HOU (Jabari, Steven Adams and ?) or a four teamer with Utah (MIN gets John Collins, MIA gets Randle and Sexton). Randle provides a lot of production for MIN (4.5 APG, 7.2 RPG, 19.2 PPG) and the team wants to get back in the playoffs, so they need a player that will replace most of that production.

[tmorgan]

I just can’t believe there is any chance Jimmy wants to play in or stay with Detroit, so I’m not interested.

[HornetJail]

I doubt Jimmy reports to DET

[Texas Chuck]

I mean if the Pistons pay him, I assume he shows up just fine. I mean I guess he'd rather play with KD than Cade, but the Pistons have a much easier path to being competitive than the Suns do, so if he cares about winning the Pistons can offer more of that, right? And one reason(the only?) he wants only the Suns, is because only the Suns have said sure you have the contract you want. If the Pistons did that(they shouldn't), I think he comes and plays hard.

[shrink]

I mean if the Pistons pay him, I assume he shows up just fine. I mean I guess he'd rather play with KD than Cade, but the Pistons have a much easier path to being competitive than the Suns do, so if he cares about winning the Pistons can offer more of that, right? And one reason(the only?) he wants only the Suns, is because only the Suns have said sure you have the contract you want. If the Pistons did that(they shouldn't), I think he comes and plays hard.

I agree. Jimmy wants to get paid next year, and it’s a lot more complicated if he doesn’t end the season on somebody’s roster.

[theBigLip]

Bad financial fit or the Pistons.

Butler may or may not get traded, but no one is giving him a huge extension so he’s going to end up opting in for next year.

[Laimbeer]

No way Jimmy stays. Just a terrible fit.

[Kalamazoo317]

I just feel like it's jumping the gun a bit for the Pistons. It's a win now move for a hope to make the playoffs this year team.

[zeebneeb]

I really like Butler...3 years ago.

Hard pass.

[Snakebites]

Thats a lot of draft capital for a 35 year old who wants a big contract and may not want to be here.

I’m encouraged by the unexpected progress the Pistons have made this year but we’re still rebuilding - we’re still far enough away from contention that a 35 year old doesn’t really factor.

So pass.

[gom]

I love the Pistons this season. It is so great to see their efforts paying off. Congratulations!

I am not a fan of this trade, OP, though I appreciate your sentiment about Tim Hardaway Jr playing for Miami. I don't think he would get many minutes on this team though. Still it's a nice thought.

Also, I'm not really interested in trading Butler. I suspect that if Miami can somehow survive the regular season and arrive at a better place in the postseason, Butler's perspective will change and he will again play at top level. In the postseason he is one of the best clutch players, so Miami should not be in any hurry to trade him. He is very competitive. My opinion is that Spo looks like he has everything under control, and everyone will behave as professionals. Let's see. Otherwise, deal with it in the off-season.

[nykballa2k4]

I love the Pistons this season. It is so great to see their efforts paying off. Congratulations!

I am not a fan of this trade, OP, though I appreciate your sentiment about Tim Hardaway Jr playing for Miami. I don't think he would get many minutes on this team though. Still it's a nice thought.

Also, I'm not really interested in trading Butler. I suspect that if Miami can somehow survive the regular season and arrive at a better place in the postseason, Butler's perspective will change and he will again play at top level. In the postseason he is one of the best clutch players, so Miami should not be in any hurry to trade him. He is very competitive. My opinion is that Spo looks like he has everything under control, and everyone will behave as professionals. Let's see. Otherwise, deal with it in the off-season.

I will say that it is in everyone's interest if Jimmy balls out at least short term before the deadline to prove a point that he is worth the max extension. If he is a cancer, no one is going to want him at his 50M or w/e during the off-season.

[GreekAlex]

Just when the Pistons get sober after years of substance abuse, they go and start dating a crackhead (culturally speaking)

Hard pass. Butlers not worth the risk. We finally established a culture after years of incompetence and now we’re going to risk it all on a guy that’s older and pouting LOL

[zzaj]

Way too good for Portland...so yes, please G-D make this happen.

[theBigLip]

No way Jimmy stays. Just a terrible fit.

Whether he stays or not, no one is giving him $50M next year unless he opts in. Just like Kyrie - opt in then force the trade

[DaVoiceMaster]

Portland says yes PLEASE!!! Do the salaries work though? I'm not up on all the changes so maybe, but Rozier and Rui make more than Simons and Timelord... maybe 5k more?

I dont know that the other teams do this, although it seems decent for the Lakers.

[165bows]

I think Detroit is a very interesting dark horse for Butler, caveat being I haven't bothered to look at their $ other than they have had cap in the past. Speaking of being lazy, that trade's waaay too long I'm not reading all that lol.