A trade that could actually get rid of Outlaw...

I know the thought of a team actually taking Outlaw is ridiculous, and I know this can't happen till after the new CBA is signed, but hear me out on this trade:

Nets Trade: Travis Outlaw, 3mil

Pistons Trade: Rip Hamilton

The Pistons right now have a big logjam at PG/SG. They just drafted Brandon Knight to be their future PG, where they already have Rodney Stuckey, Will Bynum, and Terrico White. Chances are they will shift Rodney Stuckey over to SG, which means that Rip Hamilton and Ben Gordon are backing him up. The Pistons would be paying their backup SG's over 24 million next year. Looking at their SF position right now, Tayshaun Prince and Dajuan Summers are free agents. They have Austin Daye, and they just drafted Kyle Singler. Needless to say they need more depth. Outlaw might have 2 more years on his contract than Hamilton's, but that won't make as big a difference to the Pistons because they won't be ready to compete for a while anyway. That will give them a nice expiring contract when they are ready to compete (to think that Outlaw could actually be a valuable trade asset!). If they did this deal they would be saving 4.3 mil in the long run (which would actually be 7.3mil if Proky throws 3mil into the deal), while also getting a young SF and clearing that logjam at the guard positions.

Sounds pretty good for them, so why would the Nets do this deal then? First of all, I think Hamilton could provide a wealth of knowledge to the two SG's we have right now. Some of the criticism towards our draft pick Brooks last night was that he was a ball hog and that isn't going to fly with Dwill. He needs to learn how to play off the ball and come off screens. Well it just so happens that Hamilton has made a career out of moving without the ball in his hands. He also provides veteran leadership and he knows how to win, something that can really help a young team like ours. Him mentoring Brooks could be the best thing for his career, which means it could be the best thing for us. One thing this might prohibit us from doing right now is spending more money if we think we can sign Dwight Howard next summer. But I think it will make a big difference in the long run.

Thinking farther down the road, say if our first season in Brooklyn we do have Deron Williams and Dwight Howard along with Rip. At that point we have run out of cap space and need to get creative in order to get better. Rip could actually be a valuable trade piece because of his big expiring contract that year. A team that is trying to shed salary and rebuild might have a good player with a long term contract that they are trying to get out of. Just an example, but maybe someone like Andrea Bargnani of the Raptors becomes available. He would be perfect to pair with Howard, and would add to that international appeal Prokhorov and Yormark are looking for. Hamilton, along with maybe draft picks/money, could land us a nice player as a result of a salary dump. If you look after that first season in Brooklyn, Farmar, Morrow, and Petro's contracts all end. Which essentially means we can then add depth to go along with Williams, Howard, Brooks, and maybe someone of Bargnani's caliber. 

I know some will say "we need to get better NOW, this is the year we need to impress DWill or else he leaves...doing this trade will take away from our cap space now." I don't think it really is like that. I think he realizes its going to take a little time, we aren't going to make it to the finals next year. Not only that, but if he does want to play with Howard, there aren't many places that will be able to sign both of them. Especially with the allure of opening a brand new arena in one of the biggest cities in the world. I think we are in the driver's seat here, and this deal will only make us better in the long run.