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The Detroit Pistons have been counted amongst the teams that are actively on the lookout to add to their rosters before the trade deadline. According to a report from RealGM,
The New Orleans Pelicans, Detroit Pistons and Sacramento Kings are three of the most active buyers on the trade market. Tom Gores(Pistons Owner) wants the Pistons to return to the playoffs and they own their first round pick.
Except for Griffin (who is having a phenomenal individual season), no Piston is averaging more than even 17 points per game so far this year, as the team has now lost seven of their last ten games.
The Pistons are going to end up out of the lottery apparently, making the value of that first round pick much less valuable. They are currently hosting a disappointing 19-24(0.442) win-loss record for the season, and might not even clinch a playoff berth if they keep at it.
The absence of any first-round draft pick last year saw Detroit finding solace in a couple of second round picks, but that's now how you build a resilient core, let alone a championship team.
Let's head to Detroit for a while and try and make sense of what's buzzing in their front-office as February 8 approaches.
#1 Dennis Smith Jr. to Detroit might still be on the cards before time runs out
Owing to a franchise-changing Slovenian invasion, Dennis has seen the spotlight drift away from him gradually, also in part because of his unimpressive numbers.
DSJ is averaging just 12.6 points per game this year when he was expected to take a leap up from his decent-but-still-improvable 15.2 scoring average last season. With no significant decline in minutes, he has played himself into an abyss which reportedly resulted in the following,
The Dallas Mavericks are escalating talks to trade guard Dennis Smith Jr., pushing to end a partnership that has run its course for both the franchise and former first-round pick, league sources tell ESPN.
And to put the Pistons into the perspective of the above,
But there were reports of Smith not wanting a trade out of Dallas, despite the shopping that has been going on for weeks on his behalf. The chaos can be attributed to an uncomfortable relationship between Coach Carlisle and Smith, that is yet to balloon to a point when the sophomore will show significant interest in moving on.
For now, any barter might cost the Pistons Andre Drummond in a Jordan exchange along with an add-on in Dennis Smith Jr. but that might take some recuperation from Detroit's part.
#2 For the money Reggie's getting, his production has been sub-par
This is Reggie's fifth year in Detroit and he's set to make $17 million this year followed by $18 million next year. All this money and there seems to be no solid return in this bargain for the Pistons.
He is averaging just 14.6 points and less than 5 assists per game, having scored 20+ points just once in the past couple of months. He can be used by interested teams(looking to add depth) to come off the bench as a role player on a one-year pilot basis in the beginning, however, his hefty 2-year contract is what might scare away most of the buyers.
Looking at the way the Pistons are struggling to get by the season even with two of the most skilled big men in the league, the time when they might have to trade away a majority of their role players like Reggie is near.
Another option worth pursuing is Reggie Bullock, consisting of a fairly movable $2.5 million this year and destined to be an unrestricted free agent in the coming offseason. The 5-year veteran can be used to bag some young assets and future draft picks in a package with Ish Smith and/or Stanley Johnson, if the Pistons play their cards well.
#3 Pistons add Kalin Lucas, Waive Zach Lofton; Show strange interest in Fultz
Recently, the Pistons added Kalin Lucas(in place of Zach Lofton), a 29-year-old who has previously been signed and waived by both Memphis & Orlando. The 6-foot-1 point guard was the 'Big Ten player of the year' back in 2009, and his addition to the squad shows that the front office is trying to provide first-year coach Dwane Casey with options for the second unit on the bench.
Although this might not be the smartest move, as the guy has seen just 6 minutes worth of NBA playtime. The team now consists of an ample number of point guards after adding Isaiah Whitehead on another 2-year deal, who joins veterans Ish Smith, Jose Calderon and Langston Calloway on the team.
Another one of the odd threads arises from Detroit's uncanny inclination for former No. 1 draft pick, Markelle Fultz. According to Vince Ellis of Detroit Free Press,
According to a league source, the Pistons have interest in Fultz, the No. 1 overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2017 NBA draft.
It doesn't seem peculiar at first, as one begins to envision the young point guard prospect with a huge potential to grow. But in reality, the kid who shot above 41% from deep in college is shooting a miserable 27% from long-range in the NBA, along with having being rendered 'indefinitely out' by the Sixers citing his Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, a neck and shoulder injury.
Another roadblock might be the fact that the Pistons would have to shed salary to take on Fultz’s $8.3 million to avoid luxury tax concerns.
Guess the Lakers players!
