One Trade That Every Team Should Do
Chicago gets: SG Nik Stauskas, Sacramento’s 2015 second-rounder
Minnesota gets: SG E’Twaun Moore, C Nazr Mohammed, PF Derrick Williams, Chicago’s 2015 first-rounder
Sacramento gets: PF/SF Thaddeus Young
Finances: For Chicago, little changes here. Moore and Mohammed are making a combined $2.5 million on expiring deals, almost what Stauskas is making annually on the always-cheap rookie contract. For a team with major salary cap strife in advance of SG/SF Jimmy Butler’s payday, getting a steal of a deal like Stauskas makes plenty of sense.
The Fit: Though Stauskas is struggling mightily, so much so that the rookie deal is looking pretty reasonable, this is still a nice pickup for Chicago. The rookie is still averaging 0.5 a three in just 13.5 minutes per game, and he is capable of really lighting it up from deep, as he averaged 44.1% shooting in his two year career at Michigan, averaging 17.5 points per game in his sophomore year. Stauskas was drafted eighth overall for a reason, and getting him for a first-rounder-in-exchange-for-a-second rounder sort of thing makes plenty of sense. This is especially true when you consider how much of a deadeye from three Stauskas really is, and how much Chicago could really use some extra wing depth, allowing Butler to play more SF, as well as some three point shooting.
Why the other teams do it: Minnesota is a rebuilding team who is trying to ship their veteran pieces in exchange for future assets, and they get just that in this deal. Moore, Mohammed, and Williams, a former draft bust with Minnesota, all play on expiring deals, so that’s not an issue. President Flip Saunders quickly looks past these contract fill-ins to the true prize: another first-rounder. Dealing away a quality veteran player like Young only frees up more minutes for the younger guys, like PF/SF Anthony Bennett, and gives the team more ping-pong balls. The team getting Young, Sacramento, couldn’t be happier with the outcome of this trade. Though they give up a second-rounder, dealing Stauskas for a quality PF to pair next to superstar C DeMarcus Cousins has apparently been on their wish list in advance of the deadline, and this is the perfect opportunity to strike. Though Young lacks a reliable outside jump shot, he can score down low, rebound, and defend with the best of them, exactly what the Kings are looking for. His averages of 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals a game couldn’t prove this better, as does his measly 0.4 threes per game.
Chicago gets: SG Nik Stauskas, Sacramento’s 2015 second-rounder
Minnesota gets: SG E’Twaun Moore, C Nazr Mohammed, PF Derrick Williams, Chicago’s 2015 first-rounder
Sacramento gets: PF/SF Thaddeus Young
Finances: For Chicago, little changes here. Moore and Mohammed are making a combined $2.5 million on expiring deals, almost what Stauskas is making annually on the always-cheap rookie contract. For a team with major salary cap strife in advance of SG/SF Jimmy Butler’s payday, getting a steal of a deal like Stauskas makes plenty of sense.
The Fit: Though Stauskas is struggling mightily, so much so that the rookie deal is looking pretty reasonable, this is still a nice pickup for Chicago. The rookie is still averaging 0.5 a three in just 13.5 minutes per game, and he is capable of really lighting it up from deep, as he averaged 44.1% shooting in his two year career at Michigan, averaging 17.5 points per game in his sophomore year. Stauskas was drafted eighth overall for a reason, and getting him for a first-rounder-in-exchange-for-a-second rounder sort of thing makes plenty of sense. This is especially true when you consider how much of a deadeye from three Stauskas really is, and how much Chicago could really use some extra wing depth, allowing Butler to play more SF, as well as some three point shooting.
Why the other teams do it: Minnesota is a rebuilding team who is trying to ship their veteran pieces in exchange for future assets, and they get just that in this deal. Moore, Mohammed, and Williams, a former draft bust with Minnesota, all play on expiring deals, so that’s not an issue. President Flip Saunders quickly looks past these contract fill-ins to the true prize: another first-rounder. Dealing away a quality veteran player like Young only frees up more minutes for the younger guys, like PF/SF Anthony Bennett, and gives the team more ping-pong balls. The team getting Young, Sacramento, couldn’t be happier with the outcome of this trade. Though they give up a second-rounder, dealing Stauskas for a quality PF to pair next to superstar C DeMarcus Cousins has apparently been on their wish list in advance of the deadline, and this is the perfect opportunity to strike. Though Young lacks a reliable outside jump shot, he can score down low, rebound, and defend with the best of them, exactly what the Kings are looking for. His averages of 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals a game couldn’t prove this better, as does his measly 0.4 threes per game.