It’s difficult to figure out what the long-term plan is for the Detroit Pistons. Their roster has some impressive talent, but nobody has elite, superstar ability. In other words, none of their players would be the No. 1, or even No. 2 option on a championship team.
Rumors already have circulated about the Pistons being willing to shop their first-round pick, No. 12 overall, before the NBA Draft on June 22.
Now, rumors have begun to swirl surrounding two of Detroit’s best players: center Andre Drummond and guard Reggie Jackson.
Drummond has a huge contract — an average salary of $25-plus million for three more years with a 2020-21 player option — but the real reason he’s hard to trade is his lack of utility in today’s fast-paced, outside shooting-heavy style of play. He’s an awful free-throw shooter and has poor shooting range, making him almost unusable in the last four minutes of a game. That’s not the type of player teams should be paying more than $20 million.
Jackson averaged 14.5 points per game this past season, almost four points less than he did in the 2015-16 campaign. He also suffered a knee injury and missed 30 games total in 2016-17. He’s a pretty good scorer, especially off the bench, but he’ll never be a go-to offensive player on a title contender.
Exploring the trade market for Drummond and Jackson isn’t a bad idea by the Pistons, but they shouldn’t be surprised if the offers that come in are a bit underwhelming.
Thumbnail photo via Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports Images
