With just one day left until the NBA Trade Deadline, the Liberty Ballers crew has provided you one trade each day to bandy about. Since there are no actual games being played, we've got to keep occupied somehow. This has been a week's worth of bandying, and I feel that we're all better people because of it.
But first, a summary:
Day 1: Thaddeus Young and Darius Songaila for Marcin Gortat
Day 2: Thaddeus Young, Darius Songaila, and Jason Kapono for Caron Butler, Dominique Jones, Ian Mahinmi, and Dallas' 1st round pick
Day 3: Thaddeus Young and Andres Nocioni for Marcus Banks, DJ Mbenga, and the Peja Stojakovic trade exception
Day 4: Andres Nocioni and Spencer Hawes for Brendan Haywood, Dominique Jones, and Ian Mahinmi
Day 5: Thaddeus Young, Darius Songaila, and Jason Kapono for Chris Kaman
Day 6: Chaos.
It's been a tough week of speculation for all the Thad and Dong fans out there. Our bad.
So the Sixers still need a center. While still two games under .500 (they haven't lost in a week!) the Sixers and the Comcast spin machine has given every indication that they'll be buyers or stand-patters at the deadline (tomorrow). Regardless of the move they make or don't make, the Sixers will tell everybody how great their decision was when they win at least 2 of 3 against Washington, Detroit, and Cleveland -- teams that combine for a record of 46-121, a 0.275 win percentage. Hooray for propaganda.
But if they do make a trade, it could be something like this......jump....
Philadelphia receives:
Tayshaun Prince - 1 year, 11.1 million
Ben Wallace - 2 years, 2.1 million
2nd round pick (From Detroit via Toronto)
Detroit receives:
Thaddeus Young (obvs) - 1 year, 2.9 million
Dongaila - 1 year, 4.8 million
Jason Kapono - 1 year, 6.6 million
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Tayshaun can still play even though he's regressed with age and an increased role on a bad Pistons team. He's scoring more than he has in his career but that's not the best way to utilize his skill set. With that has come a steep dropoff in his defensive play as well. He'd step right into Thad's role off the bench and additionally do all the things Andres Nocioni does only better (no offense, Noce). He also gives the Sixers that fickle mistress that partners with aging: experience.
Thad is an immediate upgrade on Jonas Jerebko, DaJuan Summers, and probably Charlie Villanueva, depending on who you ask. There might not be too much room for him in the 3/4 area for Detroit, but they're bad enough where losing two veterans and picking up a high upside 22-year-old is appealing. The combination of Dong and Kapono's expirings equal Tay's anyway, so they'll still get flexibility from the deal heading into the new CBA.
Big Ben is hardly "Big" and I'd argue that lately he hasn't been very "Ben" either. But his rebounding ability is still there and, in 20 minutes a night, he'll let Doug Collins play Elton Brand at the 4 and do his inside-outside thing without worrying too much about manning the glass. The risk is that Ben, who briefly retired before signing with the Pistons on a reunion tour in '09, would hang 'em up in a move to Philly. But considering he'd be joining a team on the rise, on pace to make the playoffs and in a position of need, it would seem like he'd be on board with this.
The idea of picking up two (cough) proven winners would certainly appeal to Collins and Stefanski. And with this trade, it doesn't kill the cap for the next few years. If you're worried, like I usually am, about people swiping minutes from Evan Turner, well...get used to it. At least it's only a year of Tay-Tay.
Any puns about this trade being better in 2007 will not be comical. Promise.
Hope ya'll enjoyed this series of fake trades. Don't blame us when none of them actually happen.