It's rare that a blockbuster trade occurs in the first week of November, but that is exactly what happened on Monday when the Nuggets sent Allen Iverson to the Pistons for Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess, and Cheikh Samb.
Detroit president Joe Dumars promised to shakeup his roster after last season's Eastern Conference Finals loss to Boston, and adding A.I. to his established lineup will do more than jumble things up in Motown.
This trade could eventually benefit both teams, whether those benefits are enjoyed immediately, later this season, or next summer.
For starters, the Pistons add one of the greatest scorers in the history of the NBA. Iverson hasn't enjoyed much team success in recent years, but he does have a Finals appearance under his belt.
A tad earlier in his career Iverson may have placed Detroit's team-first credo in jeopardy, but he appears to have changed some of his personality traits in favor of team success.
Iverson's scoring averages in Philadelphia were far greater than they were in Denver, but playing alongside Carmelo Anthony, he didn't raise concern over his reduced touches. A.I. attempted 24.4 shots per game with the 76ers in the early part of the 2006-07 season, but those averages fell quickly to 18.9 attempts with the Nuggets.
If Iverson is able to buy into how things are done in Detroit, which I believe he will, he could help push the Pistons, who have almost become predictable due to their success over the last decade, back into championship contention.
He automatically becomes the team's most dangerous and reliable scorer. He may not be as efficient as Billups and Richard Hamilton are, but A.I. will allow Michael Curry to adjust his gameplans, when needed, against teams that play a more full-court game.
Iverson will slide into the starting lineup alongside Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Amir Johnson, and Rasheed Wallace. Even without Billups, a former Finals MVP, and McDyess, who resurrected his career in Detroit, the Pistons maintain one of the strongest starting fives in the game today.
What has been lost in the all hoopla surrounding the trade is that Dumars is willing to rely on Rodney Stuckey, the second-year phenom, to be the team's point guard of the future. He has averaged 9.3 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.7 rebounds in 19.7 minutes of action through the season's first three games but expect those numbers to spike with a more featured role.
If Stuckey turns out to be the player Dumars anticipates that he will, the Pistons will have one of the best three-guard rotations in the NBA by the end of the season.
However, how long will such a rotation last?
Iverson is in the final year of his contract, which undoubtedly made the decision to pull the trigger an easier one for Dumars because the effects of a failed experiment would only last 70-plus games.
The Pistons will have roughly $20.8 million on the books for Iverson, but there is also a chance that, should things go right, Detroit could retain Iverson past this season.
It may not seem likely that A.I. would sign what could be his last NBA contract for considerably less than he might be worth on the open market ? I'm almost positive Detroit wouldn't want to tie too much money up on a 33-year-old guard with a ton of miles on his tires ? but he could agree to less money if the Pistons advance deep into the playoffs and give him a taste of success once again.
The risks for the Pistons, while considerable, have been calculated.
Denver, who strangely and literally traded Marcus Camby for peanuts in July, will tack on more salary over the long-term. Billups is in the second season of a four-year deal worth a guaranteed $46 million, with a team option for a fifth year worth $14 million.
The Nuggets are expected to waive McDyess, who doesn't have any interest in playing for Denver once again ? both he and Billups did in the 1990s.
That means McDyess can either retire or negotiate a buyout with the Nuggets that could actually allow him to return to the Pistons in a move that the NBA should at some point outlaw.
In Billups, the Nuggets get the point guard that they have been longing for ever since they sent Andre Miller to the 76ers for Iverson.
They don't have much depth, but Billups could help make guys like Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith, and Kenyon Martin both better and more efficient on offense. Billups will also immediately upgrade Denver's suspect defense, especially on the perimeter.
His role in Denver will likely grow outside of the structured system in which he flourished with Detroit because the Nuggets might need his offense more than the Pistons did.
If McDyess is bought out, Denver's payroll will drop to $63 million, almost $9 million lower than it was prior to the trade.
Believe it or not, the deal will have a greater financial impact in Detroit. Sure, the Pistons' payroll is currently over $70 million, but it will drop to around $33 million after this season with the contracts of both Iverson and Wallace coming off the books.
The risks are obviously higher for the Pistons, but the returns could be great, as well. That's why this deal was the right risk for Dumars to take, with a shot of Hall of Fame talent and automatic offensive that will only last a season should it set one of the NBA's most successful franchises back.
Grade For The Pistons: B+
If Detroit seamlessly integrates Iverson into their gameplan, the grade could jump to an A, but should he mess with the team's cohesion, their mark could slide down to a high C.
Grade For The Nuggets: C+
Denver's defense automatically improves, but they had to know that they'd really only get Billups out of the deal. I would have liked to have seen them get some young, promising talent in exchange for Iverson, and no, Samb doesn't count. Billups could make the Nuggets a better team, but his contract is three years longer than Iverson's (even though it's only half as expensive).
Andrew Perna is a Senior Writer for RealGM.com. Please feel free to contact him with comments or questions via e-mail ? Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com.