Hoops Habit
Fansided

NBA Trade Rumors: 5 Teams That Should Trade For Brandon Jennings

By Gerald Bourguet

Jan 12, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Brandon Jennings (7) dribbles away from San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker (9) during the second quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 12, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Brandon Jennings (7) dribbles away from San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker (9) during the second quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 7
Next

With the 2016 NBA trade deadline approaching, here’s a look at five teams that should consider trading for Brandon Jennings.

NBA
Jan 12, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Brandon Jennings (7) dribbles away from San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker (9) during the second quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /

Believe it or not, Reggie Jackson is living up to his massive five-year, $80 million contract extension from the past summer. With the fifth year point guard averaging 19.5 points, 6.6 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game in his first full season as a starter, the Detroit Pistons have their starting 1-guard for the future.

Unfortunately, that puts the team’s former starter, Brandon Jennings, in a bit of an awkward position.

Last season, Jennings thrived in 41 games as the starter before Jackson’s arrival, averaging 15.4 points and 6.6 assists per game on .401/.360/.839 shooting splits. After a dismal 5-23 start weighed down by Josh Smith‘s presence, the Pistons started to find their groove once J-Smoove was released, going 9-4 until Jennings tore his Achilles.

Related Story: NBA Trade Rumors: 5 Landing Spots For Dwight Howard

That left the Pistons in need of a point guard, which they found in the 25-year-old Jackson in a three-team trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder. With Jackson exceeding expectations and Jennings just returning from an injury that has decimated the careers of many a great NBA player, his future in Motown is murky at best.

According to head coach Stan Van Gundy, the Pistons want to see if Jennings can get back to the player he was last year, and even believes the two might be able to play together in the backcourt. But with Jennings becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer, teams with heaps of cap space may be willing to make him a larger offer to be their starting point guard, compared to Detroit, who would be looking to fit him into a backup role.

But with Jennings only averaging 6.9 points and 3.4 assists in 17.6 minutes per game in nine contests this season, he hasn’t exactly proven to be the boost Detroit’s horrendous bench needs. He’s shooting an abysmal 37.7 percent from the floor and 28.6 percent from three-point range, leading many to wonder if the Pistons would be better off trading him to either avoid overpaying to retain his services or losing him for nothing this summer.

Jennings has never been particularly efficient, but he’s one of those lightning rod players who’s entertaining to watch and if he can get back to being the player he was over his last two seasons in Detroit, he’d be a starting caliber point guard again. If the Pistons have him on the trade block, here’s a look at five potential deals that would make the most sense.

Next: Honorable Mentions