Why This Trade Makes Sense For The Detroit Pistons
Derrick Rose put together a solid season for Detroit last year and played in 50 games for them, but after drafting Killian Hayes 7th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft to be the point guard of the future, the Pistons may be very willing to trade Rose and get something for him since he is not in their long-term plans moving forward.
This season, with the team looking to get Hayes as much experience at point guard as possible, Rose does not have that big of a role. The Pistons need draft picks and young talent, which is exactly what they could get from the Knicks for Derrick Rose.
The first-round pick, although it is protected Top-5, would be extremely valuable to the Pistons because by 2023, it will likely be a mid first-round pick. With a first-round pick that holds value, the Pistons could easily end up drafting a high-level prospect who fell outside the lottery or even trade the pick to bring in an established player.
Dennis Smith Jr. has had his fair share of struggles over the years and has not started his career the way he had hoped, but he is still 23-years old and can be molded into a really solid role player. Given his athletic abilities, Smith Jr. could be an excellent young guard the Pistons could add to their backcourt and mold into a great second-unit player.
While he is not much of a perimeter threat, DSJ possesses high-level scoring abilities and is great at creating space for himself as he drives to the rim. His bounce and first-step is as good as an 8-year veteran’s and he could be an asset for a Detroit team that is full of young, athletic talent.
As stated earlier, Derrick Rose is in the final year of his contract and as of right now, it doesn’t seem like the Pistons are going to look to extend his contract long-term. As a result, since this team is not going to make the playoffs and rather than losing him in free agency, they might as well trade him and gather assets in doing so.
This trade gives them a young talent to work with and develop further, as well as a future first-round pick in 2023 that could turn out to be a great, young player they could utilize for many years to come.
