Detroit Pistons: No Easy Trades To Be Made
By Adam McGee
It’s that time of year when the fans of struggling teams begin to let their minds drift. They start to consider the draft, free agency, and much more immediately, potential trades. As a team now into their second consecutive disappointing season, the Detroit Pistons are a prime example of a team with the potential to be involved in trade discussions.
Of course, the rumors are swirling too. One day it’s Josh Smith, the next it’s Brandon Jennings, the next it’s Greg Monroe. Part of the reason there’s so much uncertainty surrounding Detroit’s potential dealings though is because it doesn’t seem like there are any easy deals to make.
Howard Beck of Bleacher Report detailed how Smith and Jennings are very much available in an article he wrote a couple of days ago:
"New Pistons president Stan Van Gundy needs to trade one or both of these guys if he wants to preserve the sanity of new Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy. Both are firmly on the block, per rival executives."
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There’s just one problem here though, who actually wants to take either of those guys?
As talented as Smith is, and as much good as he does, a combination of his shooting and his contract represent a significant albatross around his neck.
There have been suggestions that executives around the league would look for a first-round pick to accompany Smith in any potential deal, and perhaps the only way that the Pistons could sidestep that possibility would be if the unpredictable Sacramento Kings front office once again expressed an interest in Smith’s services.
Then there’s Jennings, whose contract isn’t necessarily going to cripple anyone, but just doesn’t necessarily represent good value. Just like Smith, Jennings has definite ability, but the reality is that he’s a bit of a loose cannon. Jennings likes the ball in his hands, but in the modern NBA the jury is still out on whether you’d want him as your floor general.
Greg Monroe’s situation is a little different, but it seems it would be equally as difficult to complete a deal. Sean Deveney of Sporting News reported that the Pistons were seeking a first-round pick in exchange for Monroe, and that the big man is desperate to be dealt. There are some major issues with those ideas though.
First and foremost, the Pistons are unlikely to get a first pick for a player who can be signed as a free agent this summer. Secondly, having gone through a frustrating restricted free agency experience last summer, it would seem likely that Monroe would like to test his value across the whole league as an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press picked up on something even more significant though:
"Monroe can squash any trade scenario. He would sacrifice his Larry Bird rights if he approved a trade. The Bird provision is a rule that allows his current team to go over the salary cap to re-sign him."
As bad as the Pistons are, it’s truly not in Monroe’s interest to want to be traded, as all it would do is reduce his options, and potentially, the money that he can earn.
Just because all of this is difficult, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the Detroit Pistons wont make a trade over the coming months. If I was a Motor City basketball fan, I’d be settling down to play the waiting game though, as it seems more likely to be next summer before real changes take place with the team’s broken roster.