Pistons and Bulls negotiate a random trade in the middle of NBA Finals
The Pistons and Bulls engage in a minor trade
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1 min read
With the salary cap exploding and a number of key players becoming free-agents, this summer is expected to involve a lot of moves and transactions in the NBA. And we got our first move (it is a minor one) on Friday, when the Detroit Pistons agreed to send guard Spencer Dinwiddie to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for big man Cameron Bairstow. Both teams announced the move on Friday.
While the timing of this trade may catch many off guard, teams are allowed to make trades after the last game of their respective season. Since both the Pistons and Bulls were knocked out of the playoffs, they are allowed to make trades with any team except for the Warriors and Cavaliers. And although the NBA Finals are winding down, the NBA Draft is right around the corner, so both teams likely wanted to get this deal done before June 25.
This is not an earth-shattering move by both organizations but Dinwiddie could be a nice pickup by the Bulls. Especially since Chicago has little to no point guard depth behind Derrick Rose. Last season with the Pistons, Dinwiddie averaged 4.4 points, 2.7 assists and 1.4 rebounds in 13.3 minutes. Dinwiddie is also just 23 years old and never really got off the bench in Detroit, so perhaps an expanded role in Chicago could be quite beneficial. He does however, have a non-guaranteed deal that doesn't become partially guaranteed until the beginning of the regular season, so if the Bulls don't think he is a good fit after training camp and preseason they can waive him.
With a contract that becomes guaranteed on July 25 (per BasketballInsiders.com), Bairstow may not stick with Detroit. He barely played in Chicago, appearing in just 36 games over two seasons and averaged 1.2 points and 1.0 rebound in 4.6 minutes a game. The Pistons may have traded for Bairstow with the plan to release him and free up a roster spot for future moves.
