NBA Trade Scenarios: 7 Teams That Could Use Brandon Jennings' Services
The Milwaukee Bucks have made it known that point guard Brandon Jennings could be available if the price was right, according to report in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
The 21-year-old Compton, California native has a lot of on-court ability, but his off-the-court issues are a cause for concern for any team looking to acquire the talented scorer.
Jennings became a part of the national sports scene in 2008 when he opted to play professional basketball in Italy rather than attend an American college.
He became a cautionary tale for high school players as he struggled to find consistent playing time for Lottomatica Roma and fell to the No. 10 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, after being thought of as a possible top overall selection following his senior year at the famous Oak Hill Academy.
Jennings averaged 15.5 points per game in his rookie season with the Bucks, but drew criticism for being a volume scorer, needing to attempt 18.1 shots per game to maintain that average.
While playing in all 82 games during the campaign, he only averaged 5.7 assists despite spending nearly the entire season playing point guard.
Jennings' low-percentage shooting continued this season, averaging 16.2 points per game on 18.6 shots, while his assist average dropped to 4.8 per game.
The lack of assists could be attributed to the lack of talent surrounding Jennings, which caused him to air his grievances to the media following the team's elimination from playoff contention.
Despite his flaws, the talent is obvious and he is still young, so improvement is definitely possible. It just might take a change of scenery to see it.
With that in mind, here are seven possible destinations where Jennings could land before the start of next season.
Atlanta Hawks
1 of 7
The Atlanta Hawks are one of the most athletic teams in the league and, after disposing the favored Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs, they put a scare into the Chicago Bulls before being eliminated in six games.
They would greatly benefit from a point guard who can create his own shot like Jennings. Jeff Teague showed glimpses of that ability during the playoffs after Kirk Hinrich's injury, but it has yet to be seen if he could carry the load over an entire season.
Jennings could step right in and instantly upgrade the Hawks' offensive attack, and his assist numbers would rise thanks to a much-improved surrounding cast.
The underlying reason this would be a great place for Jennings to land is head coach Larry Drew. Drew played point guard in the NBA for 10 seasons and would be able to teach Jennings the finer points of running an offense.
Cleveland Cavaliers
2 of 7
Following a painful season for the Cleveland Cavaliers that saw them finish 19-63 after LeBron James turned his back on them on national television, the Cavs are looking for a quick rebound as they own the first and fourth overall picks in the upcoming NBA draft.
Although they have Baron Davis at point guard right now, his best years are behind him and Jennings would be a definite upgrade.
The fly in the ointment in this scenario is the prominent belief that the Cavs will select Duke point guard Kyrie Irving with the first overall pick. If they do make that move, Jennings won't end up in Cleveland.
Derrick Williams and Jennings seems like a better combo to build upon than Irving and whomever the Cavs would select with the fourth overall pick, however.
Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert has been known to do brash things, so making a trade for the outspoken Jennings wouldn't be a surprise.
Although Gilbert's prediction of his team winning a championship before the Heat appears to be ending before it ever had a chance to gain traction, making a trade for Jennings would be a step in the right direction.
Denver Nuggets
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As consistently as they make the playoffs, the Denver Nuggets are just as consistent at being knocked out of the playoffs earlier than expected.
Despite winning 50 games for the fourth consecutive season after a resurgence following the trade of Carmelo Anthony, the Nuggets were eliminated in the first round by the younger, quicker Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Nuggets could use a player like Jennings to rejuvenate an offense that was anemic at times during Oklahoma City series.
The future of Raymond Felton with the Nuggets is in limbo heading into the summer and Ty Lawson's performance in the playoffs left a lot to be desired.
Enter Jennings. He can create his own shots (actually he prefers it), which would limit the amount of possessions where the Nuggets get caught standing around on the offensive end.
The problem? Jennings could be considered the point guard version of Anthony. He has shown flashes of defensive ability, but his effort has been questioned and that, along with his seeming desire to be courted, was what led Anthony out of town.
Detroit Pistons
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It was a crazy season for the Detroit Pistons. Head coach John Kuester lost control of his roster as the players supposedly planned a mutiny against him, which led to an overall lackluster effort for the remaining portion of the schedule.
In the end, the Pistons finished 30-52 and left a lot of question marks surrounding the roster heading into next season.
Jennings might not be the ideal player to bring into an already shaky situation, but the Pistons offense, which finished in the bottom-third of the NBA, could use a dynamic scorer.
Detroit should be looking toward a rebuilding effort by weeding out veterans like Richard Hamilton, Tracy McGrady and Tayshaun Prince and moving toward younger players like Jennings.
The main thing working against this scenario is the Pistons' depth in the backcourt. Between Will Bynum, Rodney Stuckey, Ben Gordon and possibly Hamilton, the Pistons 2 guard spots seem filled.
Despite Jennings being a better option than those four players, Detroit will likely opt to fix its forward positions before going after another guard.
Los Angeles Clippers
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The Los Angeles Clippers are slowly but surely showing improvement and are on the path to being a contender to make the playoffs. Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon are both solid building blocks for the future and DeAndre Jordan is quietly becoming an impact performer as well.
Mo Williams, who will be entering a contract year, would probably enjoy staying in Los Angeles to boost his assist numbers by throwing alley-oops to Griffin all season. However, his expiring contract would be intriguing for a team like Milwaukee, and Jennings would provide a third scoring threat to the Clippers.
A lineup that includes Gordon, Jennings, Griffin and Jordan would instantly join the league's elite when it comes to athleticism.
Eric Bledsoe is the reason this scenario might not work. Although his stat line was unimpressive, the Clippers seemed happy with Bledsoe's progress over the course of the season and with another year of seasoning behind a veteran like Williams, he could step in and become the starting point guard.
Miami Heat
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The Miami Heat are heading to the NBA Finals with Mike Bibby and Mario Chalmers handling point guard duties—that is when the Heat actually decide to play a point guard. Imagine what they could do if they added a cheap, high-powered scorer like Jennings to the mix?
In the presence of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh, Jennings will understand he will have to improve his shooting ability because shots will be tougher to come by with the Heat.
In the process he could shake the volume scorer label and, with the best supporting cast in basketball, his assist numbers would go through the roof.
Albeit this scenario is doubtful, it is extremely intriguing. It would give the Heat another huge talent at a cheap price and would allow for head coach Erik Spoelstra to give more rest to Wade and James throughout the season.
Portland Trail Blazers
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The Portland Trail Blazers finished 24th in scoring offense and never found a consistent rhythm after bringing in Gerald Wallace from the Charlotte Bobcats. That said, the Blazers are another young, athletic team where Jennings would fit in nicely.
There has been a lot of built up animosity between shooting guard Brandon Roy and point guard Andre Miller, and Miller doesn't really fit well within the fabric on the Blazers, so a new point guard will definitely be a priority this offseason.
Jennings would be the scoring point guard the Blazers need to make their offense good enough to compete when the sledding gets tough in the playoffs.
A lineup of Jennings, Wallace, Roy or Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum and LaMarcus Aldridge would provide not only consistent production on the offensive end, but their length and athleticism would give fits to opposing offenses as well.
