Detroit Pistons: Pros and cons of trading Reggie Jackson

Pro: Cap space

Trading Reggie Jackson would open up over $17 million in cap space in this offseason and $18 million next offseason. That’s a lot of cash to spend for a team that needs money to build around star power forward Blake Griffin while he’s still in his prime. They are hoping to hit on their likely lottery pick this coming draft, but more cap space from the trading of Jackson would make that much easier.

The Pistons are slated to have some of the lowest available cap space when free agency kicks off, but moving Jackson would change that. The team could use that cap space for a few different things when free agency starts. They could aggressively try to build around Griffin, but they could also take on bad contracts from other teams to acquire young assets or draft picks for the future. Moving Jackson’s contract just gives the team so much more flexibility.

We’ve seen with teams like the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns that taking on bad assets can allow you to build toward the future. The Pistons don’t have the cap space to do that unless they move Jackson. The team could also trade Griffin if it wants to go for a full-scale rebuild, but that’s unlikely.