4. Detroit Pistons
Tailoring the roster to the 3-point heavy system Dwane Casey has tried to implement is priority No. 1. Getting Reggie Jackson off the books is right behind it. Finding shooters to put around Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond is what the Detroit Pistons need to do to make the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean finding a point guard for the future is a bad idea.
If the Pistons are unable to make a move for Mike Conley and boost their playoff outlook, planning ahead by securing a hopeful point guard of tomorrow isn’t a bad strategy. Unfortunately, it’d take giving up on a potential draft bust of their own in Stanley Johnson, as well as their only 3-and-D wing on the entire roster, Reggie Bullock:
This is the only deal that works financially and makes some sort of sense for each side. The Pistons get Fultz, who doesn’t help with the playoff push, but then again, a deal like this would only happen if Detroit’s season continues to go south before Feb. 7. That’s looking entirely possible, since the Pistons have lost 19 of their last 27 games.
The 76ers would get another shooter for their second unit with Bullock, who’s knocking down 37.6 percent of his 6.6 3-point attempts per game this year. Johnson offers zero floor-spacing and very limited offense, but he’s a lockdown defender. That might be helpful for the Sixers’ playoff run before he leaves in restricted free agency this summer.
With that being said, the Pistons will be looking to improve their roster, not ship off one of their only three shooters. Philly also might want a more lasting return for Fultz than two wings who are likely to be three-month rentals.