I totally get bird in hand, etc. I just think Ayton is not sufficiently better than a slew of players who cost 1/2 as much.
The move carries big time Josh Smith vibes to me. A 23 win team paying the 6th-10th best center in basketball $30 million a year for 5 years strikes me as lunacy.
Josh Smith has never been good. Heās an inefficient shot chucker while Ayton is efficient and can defend and has improved rim protection FG% each season. The scheme called for the perimeter defenders to funnel everything to the bigs. Youāre paying for future production, not past production. He was the #1 overall for a reason.
I think he can be a top 3 C when all is said and done.
The Pistons will have Birdās right and will still have $20+ mil of cap space even with Ayton. By the time Aytonās contract ends, it times correctly with Cadeās potential max contract. Even then, an expiring contract would net the Pistons useful assets. This is a non-issue, especially for a 23-year-old player on the rise IMO.
You keep saying it, but Cadeās Max kicks in when Ayton has 2 more years left, given the sign and trade is almost certainly 5 years.
Ayton doesnāt have any year left and 5 years is the 1st year of Cadeās contract. Cadeās max wonāt kick in until the final year of Aytonās new contract and that includes birdās right.
Aytonās theoretical max will end after 2026-2027 season and Cadeās max extension wonāt kick in until 2026-2027 season. Since itās a soft cap as long as Gore is willing to pay luxury tax for a year as long as the Pistons are good, itās a non-issue. Hell Lacob is paying a shit ton of money in salaries and luxury tax just to keep the core and will try to keep both Wiggins and Poole with contract extension. Lacobās willingness to pay to keep his team competitive is causing friction from the owners who wants to be a cheap stake.
At least Josh Smith blocked shots. 
If itās just those two choices with no real other factors, Iād take Aytom. Because the seventh pick is probably not going to garner anything close to Ayton. But if you factor in roster flexibility and the fact that weād likely pick in the top 10 again next year, I think Grant for the Portland pick (plus a developmental player or expiring contract, I would imagine) is the choice.
But straight up, Ayton will be better than the 7th pick this year if you consider most likely scenarios.
Issue with not trading Grant this year is that we would have fewer expendable assets next year if we wanted to go after an RFA.
I guess how else are you acquiring a top 30ish player? Pistons have this pick and then only have trades / FA after that.
Yeah Ayton will obvious be better this year than any rookie. I guess Iām not sure it matters. Ayton wonāt make this a playoff team.
I think with Ayton, 2nd year Cade, top 5 pick, Bey, Stewart, full year Bagley and anything else they do can get them into the 9 or 10 play in. People forget the team also had a lot of injuries.
I think counting on Bagley for anything other than abject failure is a mistake.
How are Stewart, Bagley, and Ayton in a sensible rotation?
I think itās worth noting Tbis team played best last year when Kelly Olynyk was on the floor.
They finished 20 games out of the play-in. Ayton is not closing 20 games. This was the third worst team!
If they get Ayton, Bagley isnāt coming back to the Pistons.
If they want to make progress from top 5 picks for 2 seasons in a row to make a push for play in, Ayton is the move IMO to get the young core get enough experience playing for a winning team or playoff experience to build onto making the next step the following season. They canāt be terrible for several seasons in a row especially when they have Cade. They need to start making progress and if we have anything to go by which is post-all star break (They were 10-14), play in game might be the expectations for the Pistons. Getting Ayton would solidify the expectation.
How many games better will the Pistons be next season without adding Ayton? They didnāt look like the third worst team and wonāt be next season.
I mean there isnāt a player in the NBA who is worth 20 wins alone or even 10, Iām not knocking Ayton, just no single player is going to swing that gap.
Iād bet the gap between him and Stewart is worth 3?
I imagine there will be some internal improvement as well. I think when people consider adding Ayton theyāre not going to do it in a vacuum - theyāll simultaneously likely lose wins at the 4 from Grant leaving.
Regardless of the Grant/Ayton thing, this team has 3 players Iām confident can play on a playoff team - Cade, Bey, and whichever of Ayton and Grant they kept. Iām not saying others canāt (like Stewart), but those are the only ones Iām confident in. I donāt see how this is a team on the level of the Hornets or Hawks next year.
I think Ayton is fine, but figuring out Cadeās backcourt mate is the most pressing priority. Iād be in favor of just saving the cap space for next off season, There are enough young players (Cade, Bey, Stewart, Diallo, F. Jackson, Livers, Bagley, Hayes, Lee, draft pick) that you might as well let them play and see whoās worth keeping and what holes you need to fill.
I think heās likely better than probably 99% of plyers from this class 3-4 years from now tooā¦question is if you think the Pistons can set themselves up better with cap space and picks in the next 3-4 years than they could with Ayton and whatever picks/signings made after that.
Only players I think could be better than Ayton are Holmgren, Ivey, Sharpe and maybe Smith. Obviously could be some surprises. But the likelihood that those players are available and able to meet their ceiling is a factor as well.
Yup Iād rather have a bunch of young cheap contracts than take on an overpriced Ayton. Too much money for 16-10 and potential mental lapses/character questions.
The Pistons will have 20+ mil of cap space even with S&T to get Ayton. Salary cap isnāt the issue. Itās fake as long as the owner is willing to pay the luxury tax. If itās real, then GSW wouldnāt be able to keep the core plus Wiggins. Theyāre about to fork 25+ mil to keep Wiggins and give Poole the bag after this season. The Warriors are currently paying $334 mil of cap space and Lacob really doesnāt give a shit because 1. he wants to win championship(s), 2. he knows how important to keep the homegrown players and 3. Chase Center playoff revenues pretty much pays itself.
I get that. But who knows how Gores feels. But if Weaver thinks he can do better with $30 million than Ayton, thatās what is the important factor.
If we go by the rumor, it seems like Weaver is very interested in Ayton hence the discussion.
This team is so bereft of talent, everytime Kelly Olynyk takes the floor it feels like watching Larry Bird. People keep forgetting this team is trash, we didnāt get the worst records in the league two years in a row by accident.