Thunder make an offer for the #1 pick?

[Goldstar88]

Read this on HoopsHype. If it’s true, feel like Detroit should make this trade. SGA is a borderline all star player already, he’s a sure thing. Cade Cunningham could be a Michael Beasley level talent. #1 picks work out, what... half of the time?


Matt Babcock: I expect Cade Cunningham to be the top overall pick in this draft, selected by the Detroit Pistons. However, I’ve been told that the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder have been knocking the Pistons’ door down. Rumor has it that the Thunder offered the No. 6 pick and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in exchange for No. 1 — the Pistons declined. If the Pistons receive an offer better than that one, they may need to seriously consider it.

[CFAN38]

Wow if I’m Detroit I would have a hard time passing on SHA and #6. At 6 it looks like Kuminga will be available, while he is a risky pick he has an elite ceiling thanks to his size and athletic profile. If he hits he could be a slightly bigger Jaylen Brown.

[Moranis]

I'd have held out for a bit more as well.  I like SGA a lot but he is entering year 4 and played just 35 games last year.  So an injury risk and due for a big contract very soon.  The 6th pick has a chance to be a very good player, but clearly falls a couple of rungs below the Cade rung so there is a pretty hefty drop off.  If the Thunder could get up to the Cavs pick and keep SGA, then I might do that if I'm Detroit.  So like SGA and 3 for 1, that may be worth looking at, of course it will cost more than 6 to move up to 3.  So there is that consideration as well.

[dannyboy35]

  Wow. This shows what a disadvantage it’s become for some franchises. When there was 23 teams there was a 7 team lottery so if a team missed the playoffs there was still a chance to build. How can Detroit feel they can RETAIN any Star these days? It’s a bummer.

[gouki88]

That's a pretty good offer, SGA and 6 for Cunningham would be solid for both sides. SGA + Kuminga plus Bey, Stewart, Hayes, Doumbouya, Diallo and Josh Jackson is a solid group of young talent. Grant as the #2 to SGA would be fun

[tarheelsxxiii]

I'd keep #1 and take Cade with no hesitation.  Detroit will never attract free agents and finally have an opportunity to land a franchise talent.  The fans around here are pining for him, and with his talent level and versatility, he looks to be a highly likely cornerstone.

[Goldstar88]

I'd keep #1 and take Cade with no hesitation.  Detroit will never attract free agents and finally have an opportunity to land a franchise talent.  The fans around here are pining for him, and with his talent level and versatility, he looks to be a highly likely cornerstone.

What makes you so sure that he’s a franchise talent? He barely averaged 20ppg, had one game with 30+ pts. His 3pt and FT percentage was solid, but overall FG% isn’t great. Rebounds well enough, but reached double digit rebounds in a game just twice. Only 3.5 assists per game. He seems like a good prospect, but I don’t see why people are hyping him up like he’s Carmelo Anthony coming out of Syracuse after winning a national championship. Cunningham lost in what, the second round of the tournament? I don’t see a player that’s a lock to be an all star like we did with Carmelo and KD.

[Jvalin]

With all due respect, you guys massively underrate Cade. Imo, he's a generational talent. Surefire future HOFer (barring injuries). He has no weakness in his game. I'd argue he's the best prospect to come through the draft since Luka. Wouldn't have done that deal for Detroit either (and I'm very high on SGA).

[tarheelsxxiii]

I'd keep #1 and take Cade with no hesitation.  Detroit will never attract free agents and finally have an opportunity to land a franchise talent.  The fans around here are pining for him, and with his talent level and versatility, he looks to be a highly likely cornerstone.

What makes you so sure that he’s a franchise talent? He barely averaged 20ppg, had one game with 30+ pts. His 3pt and FT percentage was solid, but overall FG% isn’t great. Rebounds well enough, but reached double digit rebounds in a game just twice. Only 3.5 assists per game. He seems like a good prospect, but I don’t see why people are hyping him up like he’s Carmelo Anthony coming out of Syracuse after winning a national championship. Cunningham lost in what, the second round of the tournament? I don’t see a player that’s a lock to be an all star like we did with Carmelo and KD.

He's incredibly talented, versatile, and has a high IQ.  Great playmaker both shooting and passing.  Potentially a PG in a 6'8" body with defensive versatility who can play multiple positions.  I wouldn't seriously compare any prospect to Luka's already solidified greatness, but he has similar strengths and few weaknesses; if he's a fraction as good, he should be a franchise player.

When the Luke-Trey trade happened, I thought Atlanta got shafted.  I think Dallas still won in a big way, but Trey has proven to be an elite talent.  My concern for ATL was that Trey needed to perform, talent-wise, among the most elite players in the league to be a star.  He has, but that's a gamble with a high pick.  And Cade will never be reliant on his athleticism or shooting to be a great and impactful player.

[Jvalin]

I'd keep #1 and take Cade with no hesitation.  Detroit will never attract free agents and finally have an opportunity to land a franchise talent.  The fans around here are pining for him, and with his talent level and versatility, he looks to be a highly likely cornerstone.

What makes you so sure that he’s a franchise talent? He barely averaged 20ppg, had one game with 30+ pts. His 3pt and FT percentage was solid, but overall FG% isn’t great. Rebounds well enough, but reached double digit rebounds in a game just twice. Only 3.5 assists per game. He seems like a good prospect, but I don’t see why people are hyping him up like he’s Carmelo Anthony coming out of Syracuse after winning a national championship. Cunningham lost in what, the second round of the tournament? I don’t see a player that’s a lock to be an all star like we did with Carmelo and KD.

He's incredibly talented, versatile, and has a high IQ.  Great playmaker both shooting and passing.  Potentially a PG in a 6'8" body with defensive versatility who can play multiple positions.  I wouldn't seriously compare any prospect to Luka's already solidified greatness, but he has similar strengths and few weaknesses; if he's a fraction as good, he should be a franchise player.

When the Luke-Trey trade happened, I thought Atlanta got shafted.  I think Dallas still won in a big way, but Trey has proven to be an elite talent.  My concern for ATL was that Trey needed to perform, talent-wise, among the most elite players in the league to be a star.  He has, but that's a gamble with a high pick.  And Cade will never be reliant on his athleticism or shooting to be a great and impactful player.

Not to mention, he's a PnR maestro at 6'8''! Only player at his size or taller who's a better PnR ball handler than Cade may be LeBron. PnR is the most unstoppable move in the modern NBA. Cade will take the league by storm! He's a great shooter as well. All he needs is a decent screener and he becomes unguardable!

he has (...) few weaknesses

He literally has zero weaknesses. Not being overly athletic ain't a weakness. He's an OK athlete. It's just that some other guys can jump out the gym. Cade plays the game as a thinker which (imo) is way more impressive.

[tarheelsxxiii]

I'd keep #1 and take Cade with no hesitation.  Detroit will never attract free agents and finally have an opportunity to land a franchise talent.  The fans around here are pining for him, and with his talent level and versatility, he looks to be a highly likely cornerstone.

What makes you so sure that he’s a franchise talent? He barely averaged 20ppg, had one game with 30+ pts. His 3pt and FT percentage was solid, but overall FG% isn’t great. Rebounds well enough, but reached double digit rebounds in a game just twice. Only 3.5 assists per game. He seems like a good prospect, but I don’t see why people are hyping him up like he’s Carmelo Anthony coming out of Syracuse after winning a national championship. Cunningham lost in what, the second round of the tournament? I don’t see a player that’s a lock to be an all star like we did with Carmelo and KD.

He's incredibly talented, versatile, and has a high IQ.  Great playmaker both shooting and passing.  Potentially a PG in a 6'8" body with defensive versatility who can play multiple positions.  I wouldn't seriously compare any prospect to Luka's already solidified greatness, but he has similar strengths and few weaknesses; if he's a fraction as good, he should be a franchise player.

When the Luke-Trey trade happened, I thought Atlanta got shafted.  I think Dallas still won in a big way, but Trey has proven to be an elite talent.  My concern for ATL was that Trey needed to perform, talent-wise, among the most elite players in the league to be a star.  He has, but that's a gamble with a high pick.  And Cade will never be reliant on his athleticism or shooting to be a great and impactful player.

Not to mention, he's a PnR maestro at 6'8''! Only player at his size or taller who's a better PnR ball handler than Cade may be LeBron. PnR is the most unstoppable move in the modern NBA. Cade will take the league by storm! He's a great shooter as well. All he needs is a decent screener and he becomes unguardable!

I retract my TP (mods) - there's nothing that Luka can't do.

[gouki88]

With all due respect, you guys massively underrate Cade. Imo, he's a generational talent. Surefire future HOFer (barring injuries). He has no weakness in his game. I'd argue he's the best prospect to come through the draft since Luka. Wouldn't have done that deal for Detroit either (and I'm very high on SGA).

Besides his really poor decision-making and weak ability to score within the arc, then sure

[Jvalin]

With all due respect, you guys massively underrate Cade. Imo, he's a generational talent. Surefire future HOFer (barring injuries). He has no weakness in his game. I'd argue he's the best prospect to come through the draft since Luka. Wouldn't have done that deal for Detroit either (and I'm very high on SGA).

Besides his really poor decision-making and weak ability to score within the arc, then sure

Agree to disagree on decision-making. Imo, he's an elite playmaker, especially for his size. He ain't a dynamic finisher in the paint, I give you that. But again, he's a very crafty shot creator. He can get to his spots at will. He can shoot off the dribble. He can stop on a dime and fire an open jumper. He even has the step-back 3 in his arsenal. Most importantly, he can create all kinds of shots out of the PnR (either for himself or for his teammates). If you pair him with a decent screener and you surround him with a couple of decent shooters, you can run your whole half-court offense through him. No defensive scheme can stop a 6'8'' elite PnR ball handler who's shooting 40% from 3.

[gouki88]

With all due respect, you guys massively underrate Cade. Imo, he's a generational talent. Surefire future HOFer (barring injuries). He has no weakness in his game. I'd argue he's the best prospect to come through the draft since Luka. Wouldn't have done that deal for Detroit either (and I'm very high on SGA).

Besides his really poor decision-making and weak ability to score within the arc, then sure

Agree to disagree on decision-making. Imo, he's an elite playmaker, especially for his size. He ain't a dynamic finisher in the paint, I give you that. But again, he's a very crafty shot creator. He can get to his spots at will. He can shoot off the dribble. He can stop on a dime and fire an open jumper. He even has the step-back 3 in his arsenal. Most importantly, he can create all kinds of shots out of the PnR (either for himself or for his teammates). If you pair him with a decent screener and you surround him with a couple of decent shooters, you can run your whole half-court offense through him. No defensive scheme can stop a 6'8'' elite PnR ball handler who's shooting 40% from 3.

He's a good playmaker for my mind, but I will never call someone with a negative assist:turnover ratio an elite playmaker while averaging 6.1 turnovers per-100 possessions. It's possible to be an elite playmaker who turns it over a lot, I just never saw that from Cade in the 10 or so games I watched of his

[pearljammer10]

Surprised OKC put SGA on the table. If the really want Cade you gotta throw in 2-3 more of your 86 future firsts.