Looking at Possible Pistons Free Agent Targets

The NBA free agency period is less than 48 hours away, so as you might have gathered from the title of this post, we're going to be looking at a number free agents who will be available when 12:10am Eastern Standard Time hits on July 1st. This is not a comprehensive list (as there are over 120 free agents) but is instead a list of big-name and small-name players who would actually make sense as potential Pistons targets in my eyes. We'll be tackling them by breaking down whether or not they're actually realistic targets and why/why not.

A quick primer if you're not 100% solid on the intricacies of NBA free agency, with definitions directly from the NBA's website:

- An unrestricted free agent (UFA) is free to sign with any team, though some unrestricted free agents have options on their existing contracts that, if exercised, may impact their choices.

- A restricted free agent can sign an offer sheet with any team, but the player's original team can retain him by matching the terms of that offer. The original team is said to have the "right of first refusal."

- A team option grants the original team the right to keep a player for another year.

- A player option grants the player the power to decide whether to stay for another year or become a completely unrestricted free agent.

(In either case, if the option is refused, the player is completely unrestricted, free to sign with any team.)

Now let's break down those free agents, shall we?


"SNOWBALL'S CHANCE IN HELL" TARGETS

LeBron James, SF, Cleveland Cavaliers (Player Option): LeBron has the power to opt out opted out of his current contract with the Cavaliers, and while there's a sliver of a chance that he could bolt for another team if he doesn't like how Cleveland's offseason goes, the odds are very much against it. The plan is for LeBron to re-sign with the Cavs on another two-year contract with a player option for the second year (exactly like he signed last year) but for more money. That way he retains the ability to hit free agency again when the salary cap spikes in 2016-17. Even if he were to leave Cleveland again it won't be for Detroit.

LaMarcus Aldridge, PF, Portland Trail Blazers (UFA): ESPN's Chris Broussard reports that it's "a 99.9% chance" that Aldridge leaves. If he does ultimately leave Portland, the common belief is Aldridge wants to return to his home state of Texas. All three Texas-based NBA franchises would very much love to have him, too. He could be the heir to Tim Duncan in San Antonio, or the heir to Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas, or he could be the piece that maybe pushes Houston (who just missed out on signing Chris Bosh last year) over the top in the West. 

San Antonio sounds like the leading contender for his services, but the Lakers are apparently moving up the list as free agency nears. Aldridge lives in the Los Angeles area in the offseason and they'd be able to offer him a lot of money, but Aldridge also sounds like he wants to win a title. If he wants to win and get paid he'll go to San Antonio. There's also a good chance Aldridge will seek a one-and-one deal similar to LeBron so he can hit free agency again in 2016-17 in order to maximize his earnings potential. Bottom line: Detroit's nowhere near this conversation.

Marc Gasol, C, Memphis Grizzlies (UFA): Gasol will have some suitors like the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks but it's very unlikely he leaves. Gasol grew up in Memphis while his older brother Pau was playing for the Grizzlies; and while Marc was drafted by the Lakers, he was traded to Memphis before ever playing an NBA game, so he's techincally played his whole NBA career in Memphis. Oh, he's also Memphis' prime target, and they can offer him more money than any other team, so don't expect him to go anywhere.

Kawhi Leonard, SF, San Antonio Spurs (RFA): There is absolutely no way that San Antonio doesn't match any offer sheet Leonard may sign. It wouldn't shock me if San Antonio just straight up offered him a monster extension anyway. Either way, Leonard will be a Spur next season.

Draymond Green, SF/PF, Golden State Warriors (RFA): See Leonard, Kawhi; especially after winning a title. Golden State is looking for a trade partner to take David Lee and his albatross of a contract so they can offer Green max money, regardless. Even though Green has expressed interest in the past about playing for the Detroit, and recent reports say Green is going to be taking some face-to-face meetings with potential suitors including the Pistons, it all goes back to Golden State matching any offer he gets. If Green ever becomes a Piston it'll most likely be in a few years when he's an UFA.

2015 NBA Mock Draft 3.1

The 2015 NBA Draft is tonight, so here's what is likely to be my final version of my Keck Thoughts Mock Draft. Like last week's update, I've read and heard enough that I've made plenty of changes. Unlike the first two versions, I'm going to go through the entire Top 10 just because.

Prefacing this one last time that I have no first-hand knowledge of who will be drafting whom. What I've done is scoured the interwebs and read about as many mock drafts as I could by people who have done them and done them well for a long time, read up on the rumors and rumblings from around the league by people in the know, briefly chatted with a couple of guys at work who really know this stuff, and then included my own intuition to make my final picks. This is not scientific by any means.

Again, I should also note that I have not mocked any trades that have not yet been made. I hate it when other mock drafts do this, so I refuse to do it myself. So without further ado, here are some Keck Thoughts on the NBA Draft.

KECK THOUGHTS NBA Mock Draft 3.0


1.) MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: Karl-Anthony Towns, C/PF, Kentucky 

Minnesota President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach Flip Saunders has been publicly saying they will take the Best Player Available, even going so far as to say the Portland Trailblazers and Houston Rockets missed out on Michael Jordan in 1983 because they drafted for need instead of just taking the best player. Towns is the best player in this draft and he's the right pick here. (Previous pick: Karl-Anthony Towns)

2.) LOS ANGELES LAKERS: D'Angelo Russell, PG, Ohio State 

Call me a believer. Just as the draft is about to begin I'm buying the rumblings that the Lakers believe they can get one of the big frontcourt free agents this year, whether it's Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge or Greg Monroe. Because of that they're leaning towards taking the best point guard in the draft, hoping he's the next James Harden. (Previous pick: Jahlil Okafor)

Possible Pistons Pick: Stanley Johnson or Devin Booker?

The 2015 NBA Draft is tomorrow and as we get closer and closer to the event actually unfolding, the more it sounds like the potential targets most people believe the Pistons want will be gone when their pick rolls around at #8. Ideally the Pistons would love if Mario Hezonja or Justise Winslow would fall to them at 8, but most mock drafts have them going earlier than that.

If Hezonja and Winslow (or any of the other top 7 players) are indeed gone by the Pistons' selection, and assuming the Pistons don't wind up trading up or down, it sounds like the choice will ultimately come down between two players: Arizona small forward Stanley Johnson and Kentucky shooting guard Devin Booker.

Let's take a look at each player and see what their pluses and minuses are, and how those might fit/not fit for the Pistons.

Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona
Height: 6' 6.5"
Weight: 232 lbs.
Wing Span: 6' 11.5"
College Stats (1 season): 28.4 MPG, 13.8 PPG, 44.6 FG%, 37.1 3FG%, 74.2 FT%

Johnson is generally regarded as the third-best small forward in this year's draft behind Hezonja and Winslow. Johnson is the biggest of the three and probably has the most NBA-ready body of the three (if not in the whole draft), and with a good height of 6' 6.5" and a wingspan of 6' 11.5", he's probably the perfect physical fit for what the Pistons want out of the small forward position. Listening to interviews he's made during the draft season, he sounds like he has a good head on his shoulders and he seems to relish the opportunity to play for Detroit. That doesn't hurt.

2015 NBA Mock Draft 3.0

The 2015 NBA Draft is tonight, so here's what is likely to be my final version of my Keck Thoughts Mock Draft. Like last week's update, I've read and heard enough that I've made plenty of changes. Unlike the first two versions, I'm going to go through the entire Top 10 just because.

Prefacing this one last time that I have no first-hand knowledge of who will be drafting whom. What I've done is scoured the interwebs and read about as many mock drafts as I could by people who have done them and done them well for a long time, read up on the rumors and rumblings from around the league by people in the know, briefly chatted with a couple of guys at work who really know this stuff, and then included my own intuition to make my final picks. This is not scientific by any means.

Again, I should also note that I have not mocked any trades that have not yet been made. I hate it when other mock drafts do this, so I refuse to do it myself. So without further ado, here are some Keck Thoughts on the NBA Draft.

KECK THOUGHTS NBA Mock Draft 3.0


1.) MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: Karl-Anthony Towns, C/PF, Kentucky 

Minnesota President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach Flip Saunders has been publicly saying they will take the Best Player Available, even going so far as to say the Portland Trailblazers and Houston Rockets missed out on Michael Jordan in 1983 because they drafted for need instead of just taking the best player. Towns is the best player in this draft and he's the right pick here. (Previous pick: Karl-Anthony Towns)

2.) LOS ANGELES LAKERS: Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke 

The closer you get to the actual draft the crazier things around the league become. On the precipice of the draft the popular word is that the Lakers were not impressed with Okafor when he came in for a second workout, but were impressed with D'Angelo Russell. That said, I think Okafor is still the pick because he fills a big need for L.A., he's the most NBA-ready post player to come out of college in a long time, and if the Lakers do end up trading for Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, you can bet the Kings will want Okafor to replace him. (Previous pick: Jahlil Okafor)

2015 NBA Mock Draft 2.0

The 2015 NBA Draft is one from tonight, and as we get closer to the actual draft the rumors and rumblings around the league are continuing to swirl and… rumble, I guess. Regardless, I've read enough that I've made a few changes in my first update. Again, because I only really care about who the Detroit Pistons can and will be drafting with the 8th overall selection, I've only mocked the first eight picks.

Prefacing again that I have no first-hand knowledge of who will be drafting whom. What I've done is scoured the interwebs and read about as many mock drafts as I could by people who have done them and done them well for a long time, as well as read up on the rumors and rumblings from around the league by people in the know, and then included my own intuition to make my final picks. This is not scientific by any means.

I will make one more update a week from today on the day of the draft, so there may be some changes to come.

I should also note that I have not mocked any trades that have not yet been made. I hate it when other mock drafts do this, so I refuse to do it myself. So without further ado, here are some Keck Thoughts on the NBA Draft.

KECK THOUGHTS NBA Mock Draft 2.0


1.) MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: Karl-Anthony Towns, C/PF, Kentucky 

The rumblings that Flip Saunders prefers Jahlil Okafor are slowly dying, but aren’t quite dead yet. I still think common sense will prevail and Saunders will take the post player that better fits alongside the talent Minnesota already has, and that’s Towns. (Previous pick: Karl-Anthony Towns)

2.) LOS ANGELES LAKERS: Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke 

The Lakers are apparently debating between 3 players: Okafor, D’Angelo Russell and Kristaps Porzingis. Russell and Porzingis have perked their ears after impressive workout showing, and while both would fill needs for the Lakers, I think Okafor is still the best option because he’s the most pro-ready post player to come out of college in a long time. (Previous pick: Jahlil Okafor)

2015 NBA Mock Draft 1.0

The 2015 NBA Draft is two weeks from tonight, and because I needed something to entertain myself the other day I decided to write up my own short little mock draft. This isn't a comprehensive, full first round mock draft though. Because I only really care about who the Detroit Pistons can and will be drafting with the 8th overall selection, I've only mocked the first eight picks.

I should preface this post with the obvious and state that I have no first-hand knowledge of who will be drafting whom. What I've done is scoured the interwebs and read about as many mock drafts as I could by people who have done them and done them well for a long time, as well as read up on the rumors and rumblings from around the league by people in the know, and then included my own intuition to make my final picks. This is not scientific by any means.

I will also be updating this mock draft two times before the real draft - the first update will be one week from today and the second will be the day of the draft. So there may be some changes.

I should also note that I have not mocked any trades that have not yet been made. I hate it when other mock drafts do this, so I refuse to do it myself. So without further ado, here are some Keck Thoughts on the NBA Draft.

KECK THOUGHTS NBA Mock Draft 1.0


1.) MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: Karl-Anthony Towns, C/PF, Kentucky 

There’s lot of chatter about Timberwolves President/Head Coach Flip Saunders preferring Duke’s Jahlil Okafor over Towns, but Towns is the player with the higher ceiling. He’s the better defender and he has more range than Okafor, which makes him a better fit alongside Nikola Pekovic, Gorgui Dieng and Ricky Rubio.

2.) LOS ANGELES LAKERS: Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke 

Los Angeles is praying that Towns falls to them, but Okafor is a great consolation prize. He’s the most pro-ready post player in the draft to come out of the draft in a long time, and he’ll make a really nice building block alongside 2014 first-round pick Julius Randle in the frontcourt.