Report: Pistons Still Shopping Drummond, Jackson
By Dan Jenkins
@DanTJenkins
Though the NBA offseason isn't fully in swing yet (though, it could be this weekend if The Finals end in a sweep on Friday) the rumor mill just keeps on turning.
Some Detroit Pistons fans may be happy to hear that their team may still be trying to trade two of its highest-paid players -- Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson. According to Basketball Insiders' Michael Scotto, the Pistons are testing the market on their franchise players.
Sources: Detroit Pistons are gauging the trade market on Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson. Both were on the market at the trade deadline.
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) June 8, 2017
Reports surfaced around the trade deadline that the Pistons were aggressively shopping the two, but to no avail.
The duo had a rough season in 2016-2017, which may have been a function of Jackson's nagging knee injury. When the two played together and were healthy the year prior, they created one of the league's toughest pick-and-roll tandems, which prompted Pistons president and head coach Stan Van Gundy to give Drummond a max contract last summer.
In 2016, Jackson averaged 9.9 points per game as the pick-and-roll ball handler, good enough for second in the league behind Damian Lillard. That number fell to 8.3 in 2017 after his knee injury.
Drummond's pick-and-roll numbers declined too, from 2.6 points per game to 1.9.
Van Gundy has shown that he knows how to make an impactful trade, but moving Drummond's $23.7 million salary and Jackson's $16 million salary may be close to impossible without taking on some other less-than-desirable pieces.
What SVG decides to do with Drummond and Jackson may define his time here in Detroit.