The Detroit Pistons are in the playoff race in the Eastern Conference, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be sellers ahead of Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET NBA trade deadline.
ESPN’s Marc Stein reported Wednesday that Detroit is willing to talk about trades involving arguably their two-best players, center Andre Drummond and guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
“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,” Stein wrote.
Drummond is a quality center, but he doesn’t stretch the floor with 3-point range and he’s one of the worst free throw shooters in the league. The former UConn star is averaging 14.6 points and 13.8 rebounds per game this season.
Drummond also is owed more than $25 million in each of the next three seasons with a player option for the 2020-21 campaign. Not many teams can absorb that kind of money under the salary cap.
Caldwell-Pope is a decent shooting guard averaging 14.2 points per game, but he’s shooting just 37.2 percent from beyond the arc.
The Pistons enter Thursday’s action one game up on the Milwaukee Bucks for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.
Thumbnail photo via Raj Mehta/USA TODAY Sports Images
