Made Up Trade: Sixers Three-Team Deal With Pistons, Bucks
By Spike Eskin
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Made up trades are the best. Growing up listening to 94WIP (then 610 WIP), the proposed trades from callers and hosts were part of the backbone of conversation. Many are of the silly "package deal variety," in which the Phillies are able to "package" several of their average players for the best player on another team. Still, I love made up trades.
My friend Ethan loves made up trades too. Ethan is a Twitter follower of mine, and a master of the NBA trade machine. He has a lot of free time now, so he occasionally sends me something he's come up with. Once he even found a way to send Spencer Hawes back to the Sacramento Kings. This did two things, first, it got rid of Spencer Hawes, and second, it taught the Kings a lesson for ever sending him to the Sixers in the first place.
So from now on, once a week, Ethan (@Giles1228 on Twitter), is going to send me a proposed trade, and you get to vote on what you think of it.
Here's what we have for today (salary in parentheses):
Sixers Get:
Charlie Villanueva ($8.6 million)
Rodney Stuckey ($8.5 million)
Ekpe Udoh ($4.5 million)
John Henson ($1.9 million)
The rights to Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks 2013 first-round pick.
Bucks Get:
Thaddeus Young ($8.9 million)
Brandon Knight ($2.8 million)
Pistons Get:
Brandon Jennings (sign-and-trade $10 million)
Jason Richardson ($6.9 million)
Why the Sixers do it: First, the Sixers dump salary in Thaddeus Young and Jason Richardson, both have salary beyond the upcoming season (Richardson player option that he will almost certainly take). The Sixers also pick up a young, cheap asset in John Henson, along with 18 year-old Greek 6'9" shooting guard Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Why the Bucks do it: The Bucks get a little better, in adding a replacement for Jennings (who doesn't want to be there), and exchanging Henson for Young. The entire Bucks off-season has been an indication that they are fine with "getting a little better" and fighting for that 7th or 8th seed in the top-heavy Eastern Conference.
Why the Pistons do it: The Pistons appear unwilling to give up Andre Drummond for Rajon Rondo, so perhaps Jennings is a nice consolation prize for a lower trade price. They do seem intent on upgrading the roster and starting to win games now, as evidenced by the signing of Josh Smith.
I'm on board for this trade if I'm the Sixers. They get a nice young asset in Antetokounmpo, and a nice young, cheap asset in Henson. I'm not sure what the future of Henson is, but there is the potential of the longest, skinniest frontcourt in the history of the NBA.
