Are the Detroit Pistons trying to pull off a trade similar to what happened with the Clippers last season?
This is with reference to the transaction which saw Austin Rivers join his father and head coach Doc Rivers in the Clippers squad. For Detroit, there is a slight difference.
The target is Tim Hardaway Jr. who could possibly switch places with Brandon Jennings if the New York Knicks and the Detroit Pistons can work out a trade. Unlike the case of Doc Rivers, Tim Hardaway Sr. is serving as one of the assistant coaches under head coach Stan Van Gundy.
Jennings has proven his worth, surprising the NBA with his sensational rookie year when he was still with the Milwaukee Bucks before heading over to the Pistons in 2013. He was selected 10th overall in the 2009 NBA Draft.
Jennings is best remembered for pouring in 55 points on November 14, 2009 in a game against the Golden State Warriors which broke the record for most points by a rookie.
On the other end, Tim Hardaway Jr. was the 24th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Knicks and has put on decent performances for the club. He finished fifth in the NBA Rookie of the Year balloting that year.
So would the swap be sensible?
One thing that could be of concern is Jenning's salary. Jennings is set to earn $8.3 million next year while Hardaway Jr. is a far cry from that with close to $5.5 million spread over two years.
If the deal is to push through, the deal could require the Knicks to add more assets to gain approval from the NBA head office.
With the acquisition of Reggie Jackson, the Pistons may be looking to unload some of their guards. Their guards include Spencer Dinwiddle, Jodie Meeks and Kentavious Caldwell Pope.
If the Pistons are indeed interested in Hardaway Jr., it could be possible that they are grooming him to take over the point guard position like his father. Hardaway Jr. is known more of a shooting guard.
The swap seems to carry a lot of questions though the Pistons could be trying to clear up some cap space by unloading Jennings.
So does this mean that Jennings salary is not an issue for the Knicks?
