5 reasons I believe Saddiq Bey will be traded to ATL for John Collins

1. Bey lost his job in the starting lineup which leads to some questions. With Bojan around will Saddiq be happy coming off the bench for the next 2 seasons? Will the Pistons be willing to pay what it will take to sign Bey to an extension when he is eligible next year? Will Saddiq want to re-sign here if he's still not in the starting lineup? On a sneaky side note with the way Kevin Knox has been playing the Pistons may want to open up some minutes for him to see if the progress he has shown is sustainable. Moving on from Bey would also potentially open up more minutes for Isaiah Livers.

2. With his size, rebounding skills, and ability to shoot from 3 to help stretch the floor (has slightly higher career 3p% then Bey) Collins fit at PF next to the 6'7" Bojan and either Duren or Bagley at C would be excellent, This trade would also give the Pistons the ability to play Stewart at PF with either Bagley or Duren (whoever doesn't start) on the second unit.

3. At 25 years of age, Collins fits right in with the Pistons young core.

4. The Pistons are one of the few team's who can take the 3 years and $78M left on Collins contract after this season without having to worry about luxury tax concerns in the near future. By the time Cade and Ivey are eligible for extensions and with the way the salary cap and player salaries are expected to rise Collins contract should not be any type of hindrance. It may even be considered a bargain at that point.

5. The Hawks want/need to free up future cap space. Replacing Collins who will make $25M next year with Bey who will only make $4.5M would instantly alleviate the Hawks luxury tax concerns for next season and getting rid of his long term, big $ contract would help clear a financial path to get Murray & Okongwu (potentially Bey too) signed to extensions when each are eligible next season. The Pistons have the expiring or non-guaranteed contracts of Burks (who i would prefer not to include) Noel, Hami, Cojo, Livers, and McGruder (after 12/15) available to match salaries. I doubt there is any other team in the NBA that can offer a player as talented as Bey that can cover the position for $20M less next season & do it without giving The Hawks back any other future salary. the Pistons could also dangle their 2nd round pick in the upcoming draft (or any of the other 2nd rounders DET owns) which likely will be at the top of the round and should appeal to a team like ATL with financial issues.

What a potential Collins/Bey trade could look like.

Obviously the main part of this trade is Bey and the #2 for Collins, the rest is just expirings used for salary filler though Hami & Cojo could see playing time for ATL with both the Holiday brother's struggling and Bogdan out with a knee injury. The real value in acquiring the 3 extra players for Atlanta would be having their nearly $20M in expiring contracts available to use at/before the trade deadline (along with that #2 pick) to upgrade the roster if need be.

Pistons Depth Chart After Trade (would have 1 open roster spot)
C: Duren, Bagely, Stewart
PF: Collins, Stewart, Knox
SF: Bojan, Livers, Krejci
SG: Ivey, Burks, Martin
PG: Cade, Hayes, McGruder

I personally believe that once Collins is finally traded by the Hawks and gets to a new team where he can settle in and know he is a big part of that teams future his game is going to take off. I don't care how mentally tough a player is, having to deal with all that noise takes a toll on a person, Especially one who has been constantly in the trade rumors for as long as Collins has. Once he finds a home and has peace of mind from the stability, whatever team has Collins on their roster is going to majorly benefit. I am really hoping that team will be the Pistons.

Could moving Jaden Ivey to a 6th man role be the best move for the Pistons once everyone is healthy?

With the Pistons soon to get Alec Burks and Marvin Bagley back from injuries the team will likely need to make some changes to both starting lineup and the 2nd unit. While most articles I have read believe it will come down to either Saddiq Bey or Bojan Bogdanovic heading to the bench so the team can start both Bagley and Isaiah Stewart up front to give the Pistons more size, I have a different idea.

To me the best thing to do is move Ivey to a 6th man role (where he would still get around 30 minutes a game & be in the closing lineups if/when needed), go with a starting 5 of Bagely/Stewart/Bojan/Burks/Cunningham, and shorten the primary rotation to 9 players.

DEPTH CHART

PG: Cade/Ivey/Hayes/Cojo

SG: Burks/Ivey/Hami

SF: Bojan/Bey/Livers/Hami

PF: Stewart/Livers/Knox

C: Bagely/Duren/Noel

I posted this potential starting lineup and depth chart on Twitter and immediately had people asking why I would remove Ivey from the starting lineup. Here are 3 reasons why.

1. Terrible play from our backup PG's. By moving Ivey into a 6th man role, he will be avaialble to take all/most of the minutes at PG when Cade is resting on the bench that have went to Killian Hayes and Cory Joseph. Ivey would play most/all the backup SG minutes as well. Ideally the Pistons rest Bey at around the 6 minute mark of the 1st/3rd quarter and replace him with Ivey. At the begining of the 2nd/4th quarter Cade sits for 6-7 minutes, Ivey moves to PG and Bey comes back in. Hami Diallo would be my choice over Hayes or Cojo to be the 10th man and pick up whatever gurard minutes (if any) are left over each game.

2. This lineup will help balance out the shooting on the starting and second units better. With Ivey starting and Bey or Bojan on the bench, the starting unit would only have one above average outisde shooter on the floor with Cade/Stew/Bagely for the first 6-7 minutes of each half. I trust Beys outside shot more then i trust Ivey's at this point so therefore i see him as a better fit along with Bojan to play those minutes with Cade/Stew/Bagley. A second unit fronted by rookies Ivey & Duren with Bey, Livers and one of either Cade, Bojan or Burks on the floor with them could be outstanding.

3. The size of this starting lineup really intrigues me. I think a big part of my reason for liking this lineup so much was watching an undersized Pistons team struggle to defend and rebound earlier this season while both Duren and Bagley were out with injuries. Bey is quick enough to guard 2's and if/when a quicker wing does drive past Burks or Bojan they'll have both Stewart and Bagley (or Duren) waiting for them in the paint.

Keep in mind that this starting lineup would likely only play together for the first 6-7 minutes each half. I see Ivey getting at least 28 minutes per game in this role and being in the closing lineup (in place of Bagley or Stewart) anytime the game is on the line.