After weeks of rumors and speculation, Thursday being NBA Draft day brought actual action to the rumblings that have been circulating around the league.
While there was one blockbuster getting worked out early on as the Lakers and Wizards tried to finalize a deal to send Russell Westbrook home to Los Angeles, other teams were making moves to adjust depth on their rosters. Ricky Rubio got sent to Cleveland for Taurean Prince, once again finding himself on the move on Draft day, while Landry Shamet got sent from Brooklyn to Phoenix for Jevon Carter and the No. 29 overall.
The Draft is also a great place for teams to try and make moves to clear cap room prior to free agency, which is what happened with the Detroit Pistons who effectively paid the Hornets the 37th overall pick to take Mason Plumlee off of their hands and the two years, $16.5 million remaining on his contract he signed last offseason in Detroit.
Detroit is finalizing a trade to send C Mason Plumlee and the No. 37 pick to Charlotte for the No. 57 pick, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 29, 2021
Getting the 57th overall pick back is necessary to make the trade legal, but this is clearly a cap move for the Pistons and, for Charlotte, a smart use of some of their cap space to fill a need (center depth) while also adding what could be a decent pick in the early second round. For Detroit, they gain a bit of cap space this year and, maybe more importantly, next season with this move for the cost of business that is a second rounder. This is far from a blockbuster, but it’s more in line with what many Draft night trades look like.