Can Russell Westbrook reignite the motor Pistons are missing?

Second Trade Scenario:

Before you think to yourself, yes, I am aware of the fact that this trade is nearly identical to the first one. However, the Pistons could view these two young prospects (Doumbouya/Kennard) completely different in terms of value.

https://twitter.com/ItsInfernoo/status/1148478078840000513

Bruce Brown has shown flashes of his potential with the Pistons and could perhaps push Kennard to the bench if he keeps up his development thus making Kennard more expendable. Keep in mind Kennard is also a tad more expensive (around two million more per year next season) and would likely cost more to extend due to the value of shooting in the NBA today.

OKC Perspective:

For Jackson/Galloway/Maker my analysis all remains the same, however, I view Kennard much differently than Doumbouya. Kennard is a 6’5 sharpshooting guard who over his first two seasons in the NBA shot 40 percent from beyond the arc at 3.4 attempts per game.

In the playoffs, Kennard received much more playing time against a powerhouse Bucks team and delivered. Averaging 15 points on 49/60/83 splits, Kennard showed his ability to score and that he has the capability to become a sniper in the NBA.

While in a vacuum, I would love Kennard to be a part of OKC’s rebuilding process. After just turning 23 in June, Kennard would provide scoring and a silky smooth stroke that would be ideal next to a guard like Shai-Gilgeous Alexander who isn’t yet an established shooter in the NBA. Shai needs space to operate and Kennard would provide that along with a sneaky ability to handle the ball.

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However, OKC already has two young shooting guards who appear to be high in the team’s future plan in Terrance Ferguson and Hamidou Diallo.

It is possible that OKC plays Kennard at small forward occasionally, as he jumped from playing 29 percent of his minutes at the three to 82 percent of his minutes during his sophomore season at the 3, according to Basketball Reference. It is also possible that Diallo only gets minutes sparingly during next season as he works on his shot and other refinements in his game.

Either way, OKC is getting an elite shooting talent in Kennard who would be a perfect fit next to franchise point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and help space the floor for the others on the court.

Outlook:

Given the fact that the Pistons are among one of the most mentioned teams in regards to having interest in Westbrook, one of these trades could certainly go down before the start of next season.

While it obviously hurts losing your franchise cornerstone in Russ, gaining significant salary cap flexibility plus a young player plus potentially a pick has to be considered a win for Sam Presti and management.