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Pistons get Cato, first-round pick for Darko, Arroyo
The Detroit Pistons traded forward-center Darko Milicic and point guard Carlos Arroyo to the Orlando Magic for Kelvin Cato and a first-round draft pick, ESPN.com learned Wednesday.
ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported the first-round pick in the deal won't belong to Detroit until the 2007 draft at the earliest. Orlando keeps the pick for this June's draft and the pick is top-five protected in 2007, meaning that it would only go to the Pistons if it's No. 6 or lower. The pick is totally unprotected in 2008.
The little-used Milicic appeared in 25 games for the Pistons this season, averaging 1.5 points per game in 5.6 minutes. Arroyo, a reserve guard, averaged 3.2 points and 3.1 assists in 50 games for Detroit.
Cato averaged 13 minutes in 23 with the Magic, averaging 3.8 points and 2.7 rebounds.
Milicic didn't play much more for Flip Saunders this season than he did for Larry Brown last season, fueling more second-guessing on Detroit's decision to draft the Serbian 7-footer over Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.
Yet, even if Milicic had gotten more regular playing time this season, it's doubtful the Pistons could have afforded to keep him. With Ben Wallace bound for free agency in July and Chauncey Billups expected to seek lucrative contract extensions before becoming a free agent in the summer of 2007, Detroit also needed Cato's expiring contract ($8.6 million this season) to create the salary-cap space to resign both comfortably and keep together its vaunted starting lineup.
After Wallace and Billups re-sign, all five Pistons starters will possess contracts averaging at least $10 million per season -- an NBA rarity but a necessity for Pistons president Joe Dumars given the success and relative youth (Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace are both 31) of the group.
While Orlando continues to explore its Steve Francis trade options, the trade gives Milicic a chance to play immediately alongside franchise forward Dwight Howard. It might also eventually give the Magic two highly touted but unproven European big men for its frontcourt rotation, with the Magic still hopeful they will have 2005 first-round pick Fran Vazquez, who elected to play in Spain this season, in the near future.
Source: ESPN.com
ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported the first-round pick in the deal won't belong to Detroit until the 2007 draft at the earliest. Orlando keeps the pick for this June's draft and the pick is top-five protected in 2007, meaning that it would only go to the Pistons if it's No. 6 or lower. The pick is totally unprotected in 2008.
The little-used Milicic appeared in 25 games for the Pistons this season, averaging 1.5 points per game in 5.6 minutes. Arroyo, a reserve guard, averaged 3.2 points and 3.1 assists in 50 games for Detroit.
Cato averaged 13 minutes in 23 with the Magic, averaging 3.8 points and 2.7 rebounds.
Milicic didn't play much more for Flip Saunders this season than he did for Larry Brown last season, fueling more second-guessing on Detroit's decision to draft the Serbian 7-footer over Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.
Yet, even if Milicic had gotten more regular playing time this season, it's doubtful the Pistons could have afforded to keep him. With Ben Wallace bound for free agency in July and Chauncey Billups expected to seek lucrative contract extensions before becoming a free agent in the summer of 2007, Detroit also needed Cato's expiring contract ($8.6 million this season) to create the salary-cap space to resign both comfortably and keep together its vaunted starting lineup.
After Wallace and Billups re-sign, all five Pistons starters will possess contracts averaging at least $10 million per season -- an NBA rarity but a necessity for Pistons president Joe Dumars given the success and relative youth (Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace are both 31) of the group.
While Orlando continues to explore its Steve Francis trade options, the trade gives Milicic a chance to play immediately alongside franchise forward Dwight Howard. It might also eventually give the Magic two highly touted but unproven European big men for its frontcourt rotation, with the Magic still hopeful they will have 2005 first-round pick Fran Vazquez, who elected to play in Spain this season, in the near future.
Source: ESPN.com