As Trade Deadline Nears, Pistons Reportedly Shopping Caldwell-Pope, Drummond

By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid

As Stan Van Gundy stated on Tuesday night, and as he's stated numerous times this season, "I don't care what every other GM says. Every guy in this league is available for the right price."

To that end, the Pistons are listening to offers for Andre Drummond and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ahead of Thursday's 3 p.m. trade deadline, according to ESPN:

"Sources told ESPN.com that the Pistons have not committed to trading either player but have also not discouraged offers from interested teams for ‎the two most prized names on their roster."

If that doesn't really feel like news, it's probably because it isn't.

Nevertheless, rumors continue to swirl.

Drummond has been connected to the Trail Blazers, in a potential deal for C.J. McCollum (per Ramona Shelburne); the Raptors, in a potential deal for Jonas Valanciunas, before the Raptors acquired Serge Ibaka (per SI.com); the Kings, in a potential deal for DeMarcus Cousins, before Cousins was traded to the Pelicans (per ESPN.com); and the Nets, (per ESPN.com).

Van Gundy clarified on Tuesday that none of the reported trade talks involving Drummond have advanced past the exploratory phase.

"Some discussions get more serious than others and that's what happens. There hasn't been a serious discussion about Andre, but that doesn't mean there haven't been discussions about Andre. The concern, from Andre's standpoint, would be if nobody had any interest in him," said Van Gundy.

ESPN.com also pointed out, "Drummond is especially well-regarded by Pistons ‎owner Tom Gores and thus unlikely to be dealt before Thursday's deadline."

[RELATED: Van Gundy Unfazed By Frequent Disagreements With Drummond]

Caldwell-Pope, meanwhile, has been connected to the Sixers, in a potential deal for Jahlil Okafor (per Jake Fischer). According to ESPN.com, "Detroit would expect at least one future first-round pick and front-line player in return" for Caldwell-Pope, who is set to become a restricted free agent this summer.

While intriguing from the outside, this sort of negotiating is business-as-usual for Pistons' GM Jeff Bower.

"Jeff talks to virtually every team in the league all the time and I am sure, as I've said before, that every name on our roster has come up. That's his job, that's what we're supposed to be doing..and Jeff will continue to do that probably until 3:00 on Thursday," Van Gundy said. "That's the way it goes."

Van Gundy suggested on Tuesday that 95 percent of trade rumors ultimately amount to nothing, while 90 percent are "never even discussed seriously."

"All the rumors and stuff don't mean a damn thing. They don't. They really mean nothing," he said.

And, despite the Pistons' disappointing first half and reports of locker room unrest, Van Gundy doesn't sense the organization's phone line has been any busier than usual in regard to trade talks.

"I wouldn't say that," he said, "To me, at least the things that I hear about, it's a pretty normal trade deadline. There's activity, there's talks with people, most of them aren't very serious."