This is the least likely trade I could see Tom Thibodeau doing mostly because I can’t see Detroit giving up a draft pick with Andre Drummonds talents to acquire Jimmy Butler, even if it means pairing up the All-Star with Blake Griffin.
The swap of Stanley Johnson and Gorgui Dieng would have to suffice for Thibs to theoritically sign this deal into existence.
Much like the Whiteside move, this Drummond deal would take a lot off of Towns stresses on the defensive end. But also much like the Whiteside deal, in the current NBA environment it’s hard to win when you play big ball and not small ball.
However, Towns is one of the best big man 3-point shooters in the league at the moment and could potentially be one of the best shooters in the NBA hands down if he was given more shots. Placing him at the four could do that for Towns and let him evolve into the superstar (top-ten player) that he’s meant to be.
Stanley Johnson has been a unfortunate product of a Thibodeau-type coach in Stan Van Gundy, who rarely played Johnson in his first few years in the league, stunting his growth.
Johnson is only 22-years old and has a lot of potential, but Thibs would have to be willing to play him more minutes than Detroit had given him – if anything he’s a nice asset to have for another deal in the future.
Detroit gets to pair their newly coveted All-Star in Blake Griffin with Jimmy Butler, and I’m not sure what to think about it. All I know is that Detroit needs a new look to get something going and that Griffin move was most likely a mistake, so moving him or Drummond makes a lot of sense.
They’ve been missing a solid guard for years and they tried to make Avery Bradley their guy but it didn’t quite work, Butler could be the missing piece.
Our last deal is with the Charolette Hornets, who don’t have a lot of assets to offer – but we could surprise you.