3 Trades That Make Sense For The Pistons As The Deadline Approaches
By Dan Jenkins
@DanTJenkins
As the Feb. 18 trade deadline grows nearer, the Detroit Pistons look like they're still a player or two away from making a deep playoff run.
I know, I know -- that sounds ambitious for a team that hasn't made the playoffs since 2009, but this year's team has shown flashes of great basketball and has more talent than any Pistons squad in the past seven years. Adding the right players at this point in the season could elevate the Pistons from a barely-over-.500 team (27-25) to one of the top four seeds in the Eastern Conference.
The Pistons' most valuable trade chip is still point guard Brandon Jennings. Team president Stan Van Gundy made Jennings -- a starting-caliber player -- expendable when he signed Reggie Jackson to a five-year, $80-million contract over the summer and his expiring $8.3 million contract has valuable to other teams.
Van Gundy has stated in the past few weeks that he wants to keep Jennings and might not make a move at the deadline, but he has surprised us before. Even coming off an Achilles injury, opposing teams still find value in Jennings, who has been the talk of trade rumors for months.
Here's three trades -- all involving Jennings -- that the Pistons could pull off before the trade deadline.
Detroit receives: PF Thaddeus Young, PG Shane Larkin
Brooklyn receives: PG Brandon Jennings, PF Anthony Tolliver, PG Spencer Dinwiddie
A trade like this was rumored to have been discussed between the Pistons and Nets earlier last week. Van Gundy shot down the notion that they were shopping Jennings, but reports have indicated that he will be pursued by Brooklyn or New York before the deadline in the summer.
Thaddeus Young would give the Pistons a low-post scorer that they've sorely been missing since Greg Monroe left for Milwaukee. He would also be a nice second rebounder next to Andre Drummond that the Pistons desperately need.
Young won't stretch the floor much, but he plays hard and affects the game in other ways. He shoots 52 percent of his attempts from inside five feet, making nearly 57 percent of such shots.
Shane Larkin would be a serviceable backup point guard that Detroit needs if they deal Jennings.
Detroit receives: PF Markieff Morris, PG Ronnie Price
Phoenix receives: PG Brandon Jennings, C Joel Anthony, PG Spencer Dinwiddie
Markieff Morris was one of the better young, under-the-radar stars in the league before this season. When the Suns traded his twin brother, Marcus, to the Pistons, Markieff was never really the same player.
Ever since Phoenix fired coach Jeff Hornacek, Markieff has been on a tear, averaging 20.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists in three games under coach Earl Watson.
Despite the recent surge, the Suns could still be looking to deal Markieff -- the so-called "better brother" -- before the deadline. A reunion with his brother has been rumored ever since Marcus was traded to Detroit over the summer.
On the Phoenix side, the Suns need a reliable point guard while Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe remain out with injuries and could value Jennings' expiring contract.
Detroit receives: SF Rudy Gay, PG Darren Collison
Sacramento receives: PG Brandon Jennings, PF Ersan Ilyasova, SG Darrun Hilliard
This deal would be a home run for the Pistons.
Acquiring a go-to scorer like Rudy Gay would be just what the team needs to make a playoff run, while getting a proven backup point guard at the same time in Darren Collison.
The Kings made some noise in January by winning eight out of 11 games and jumping up into the playoff picture, but have fallen back down to earth a little bit. Most of Sacramento's offense runs through DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo, leaving Gay as the odd man out -- the odd man out with a big contract that the Kings might want to part with.
Gay's salary ($12.4 million in 2016) isn't too outrageous for what the Pistons would need him to be. He and Collison could be the final pieces to a really quality team that would be looking at a deep playoff run.
