Best Potential Trade Destinations for Nik Stauskas to Jump-Start NBA Career
Last summer, Nik Stauskas was the eighth overall pick of the NBA draft.
One year later, the 6'6" shooting guard is still struggling to ignite his career.
His rookie season was largely a forgettable one, save for a closed-captioning error that christened him with the nickname "Sauce Castillo." The Sacramento Kings, who spent a top-10 pick on fellow shooting guard Ben McLemore the year before, couldn't find major minutes for Stauskas. He averaged only 15.4 per game, putting up just 4.4 points a night on 36.5 percent shooting (32.2 percent from deep).
With other roster holes to fill, the Kings put Stauskas on the trade block in January, league sources told CBS Sports' Ken Berger. Fast forward to today, and Stauskas "continues to be available in trade talks," per Berger.
The Big Ten Player of the Year in 2013-14, Stauskas has good size (6'6", 205 lbs), a great shooting touch and the ability to create plays off the dribble. Bleacher Report's Daniel O'Brien offered a Klay Thompson comparison in his June 2014 scouting report of Stauskas, writing the then-prospect would "take advantage of every crease of daylight to get his shot off" and "could eventually be the second or third scorer on his club."
Stauskas needs work to realize that potential, but at 21 years old, he has time to figure things out.
Before that can happen, though, he needs to get away from the crowded backcourt in Sacramento. If he can link up with one of the five following teams, he could start climbing toward his ceiling—and being known for something other than that unintentionally killer moniker.
Charlotte Hornets
1 of 5
There are a number of reasons why the Charlotte Hornets took several steps in the wrong direction during the 2014-15 campaign.
Injuries were an issue all season; only three players cleared the 65-game mark. The swing-for-the-fences signing of Lance Stephenson was an unmitigated disaster. Their stonewall defense started showing some cracks, slipping from sixth to ninth in defensive efficiency.
But nothing did more damage than Charlotte's anemic offense. The Hornets weren't great on that end the year before (101.2 points per 100 possessions, 24th), but this group lowered the bar several notches. The Hornets ranked 28th in offensive efficiency, posting a paltry 97.6 points per 100 possessions.
To make matters worse, these struggles weren't the least bit surprising. Charlotte is attempting to build its attack around Al Jefferson's brilliance on the left block and Kemba Walker's dribble penetrations. Both of those assets require supreme floor spacing. The Hornets were the worst three-point shooting team in the league, converting a grisly 31.8 percent of their attempts.
Considering what was expected, Stauskas had an abysmal year from distance. Yet he still would have finished sixth on the Hornets in three-point bombs with 48. Only two of the five players in front of him shot a higher percentage: Marvin Williams (35.8) and Mo Williams (33.7), neither of whom is a long-term building block.
The first priority for Charlotte's offseason is upgrading this punchless perimeter attack.
"We're going to address the shooting this summer, but it could be through the draft, free agency or a trade," general manager Rich Cho said, per Steve Reed of the Associated Press.
Stauskas might be the cheapest way to address that need. Williams, who has an expiring $7 million contract, could interest the Kings if they can't find a stretch 4 elsewhere. The Hornets are also reportedly shopping Cody Zeller in search of wing help, sources told Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.
Denver Nuggets
2 of 5
Nightly track meets are coming back to the Pepsi Center.
After failing to get the half-court game on track under former coach Brian Shaw, the Denver Nuggets are ready to start running again under new head man Michael Malone.
"The game is getting faster. It's a pace game," Malone said at his introductory press conference, per Pat Graham of the Associated Press. "The game is becoming a three-point shooting game."
That sounds like a pretty Stauskas-friendly game. If a team wants to run and gun, why not do it with someone who hit 42.1 percent of his long-range looks after the All-Star break?
The Nuggets need shooting in a bad way. While they finished this past season tied for 12th in three-point attempts (8.0 per game), they were 28th in terms of accuracy (32.5 percent). Denver had eight different players launch at least 100 triples. None knocked down even 36 percent of his attempts.
Denver could soon be scrambling for offensive production. Ty Lawson, the team's top scorer and distributor, has seen his name bounced around the rumor mill for weeks. He's said to be a preferred target of current Kings (and former Nuggets) coach George Karl, a source told ESPN.com's Chris Broussard.
If the Nuggets and Kings come together for a blockbuster deal, it's possible Stauskas could be involved. Denver's own rookie shooting guard, Gary Harris, had an even worse debut season (3.4 points per game on 30.4 percent shooting), Will Barton is headed to restricted free agency and Randy Foye's $3.1 million salary is non-guaranteed.
Malone was Stauskas' first coach in Sacramento, and the partnership didn't do much for the rookie. But with Malone looking to push the pace and spread the floor, he needs an unabashed gunner like Stauskas.
Miami Heat
3 of 5
Depending on how free agency goes, the Miami Heat could be loading up for a playoff run next season or thinking further ahead. Either way, this roster could use an injection of depth, youth and perimeter shooting.
The Heat had the third-lowest scoring bench in the league last season at 26.6 points per game, per HoopsStats.com. As a team, Miami tied for 20th with 6.8 threes per game and 24th with a 33.5 three-point percentage.
Assuming the Heat keep their Dwyane Wade-Goran Dragic backcourt intact, they won't get much outside shooting from either of their starting guards. Luol Deng, another potential free agent, is a low-volume shooter from distance. Miami has a pair of stretch bigs in Chris Bosh and Josh McRoberts, but both are returning from season-ending ailments.
The Heat have two picks in Thursday's draft—Nos. 10 and 40—and they'll likely use one on a backup shooting guard, according to Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald. But a mid-level lottery pick isn't going to solve this need, and a second-rounder wouldn't even come close.
Miami has to seize this opportunity to buy low on a potentially rewarding prospect. If the Heat can shed Mario Chalmers' $4 million salary in the process (perhaps packaged with the 40th pick), this trade could even make free agency a little easier for them to navigate.
They trotted out a number of different second-team shooters last season: Andre Dawkins, Shannon Brown, Tyler Johnson, Henry Walker, Danny Granger and Shawne Williams. Johnson and Walker have non-guaranteed salaries for 2015-16. The other four are no longer on the roster.
In other words, this remains a major area of concern—regardless if the Heat are playing for the present or the future next season.
Minnesota Timberwolves
4 of 5
The stars are slowly aligning for the youthful Minnesota Timberwolves, and their future is packed with promise.
But their present is essentially built around a handful of intriguing prospects—Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, Ricky Rubio, Shabazz Muhammad, Gorgui Dieng and whomever they grab first in Thursday's draft—and little else. They have some costly veterans who clearly won't be around for the long haul and some young players who probably won't either.
The Timberpups could thin their ranks several different ways. But the most pertinent name in this discussion is Kevin Martin. The 32-year-old led the Wolves in scoring (20.0 points per game), averaged 33.4 minutes a night and started 36 of the 39 games he played.
Martin has always been an efficient scorer (career 18.0 player efficiency rating), but he's playing far too big of a role for a team that isn't going anywhere. The Wolves seem to recognize that. They tried finding trade partners at the deadline for Martin and could move him this summer, sources told Sporting News' Sean Deveney.
If the Wolves move on from Martin, they have to get a marksman in return. Despite missing more than half of the season, Martin paced Minnesota in three-point makes (75), attempts (191) and percentage (39.3). Considering this team had the sixth-worst conversion rate from distance (33.2 percent), it can't afford to give up what little shooting it has without getting some back.
Stauskas is a flier worth taking for Minnesota. He wouldn't block the team's other young perimeter players from seeing the floor, and he could make things easier for them by providing a missing outside touch.
The Kings aren't looking to start over—the 64-year-old Karl wouldn't be on the sideline if they were—so they should have interest in a win-now contributor such as Martin or Chase Budinger.
Philadelphia 76ers
5 of 5
The Philadelphia 76ers' rebuilding plan might be radical, but it isn't hard to follow. They're throwing as many young players at the wall as possible and seeing which ones can stick.
All of their assets—prospects and draft picks—are lottery tickets. And general manager Sam Hinkie is going to keep scratching those tickets until they reveal a couple of stars and the makings of a championship contender.
"He's acting on logic, weighing the value of one player or one draft pick against another, giving himself and the Sixers the best odds to acquire not contributing players, not pretty good players, but transcendent players—the only kind of players who win championships in the NBA," wrote Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Stauskas can fit that vision. No, he won't be one of those transcendent talents. But he could add to Philly's growing asset collection while simultaneously helping to fill its three-point shooting void (32.0 percent, 29th overall).
The Sixers will have backcourt minutes to burn even if they use the No. 3 pick on D'Angelo Russell, as Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman predicted they will. Since both Russell and Stauskas are comfortable handling the ball and lethal from long range, they could become an electric backcourt engine for this frenzied attack.
Philly would have time to develop Stauskas and see what he can become. At best, the Sixers wind up with another young piece of their rebuilding project. At worst, they have a prospect to showcase and eventually flip for more assets.
With a bevy of future draft picks and five second-rounders in this version of the NBA's annual talent grab, Philly should be able to put something together that interests Sacramento.
Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com. Salary information obtained via Basketball Insiders.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
