Pistons: Pass or pursue on these 4 NBA trade deadline rumors

Jan 3, 2021; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant (9) moves to the basket against Boston Celtics center Tristan Thompson (13) during the first quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2021; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant (9) moves to the basket against Boston Celtics center Tristan Thompson (13) during the first quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
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Pistons, NBA trade deadline
NBA trade deadline, Pistons Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Celtics want Jerami Grant: Pass or pursue?

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Boston Celtics are interested in trading for Jerami Grant. That shouldn’t be a surprise because plenty of teams should be interested in trading for him, and the Celtics have this bizarre need to involve themselves in discussions about deals where they’ll never pull the trigger.

Whether they want Grant or not, the days of the Celtics being able to move mountains with their draft picks are long gone. Even though they never actually did anything of note with them in the trade market, mind you. The Celtics may offer draft picks and young players, but unless Jaylen Brown is in the conversation (he won’t be), this is the hardest pass.

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Pass

Teams reportedly want Isaiah Stewart and Saddiq Bey: Pass or pursue?

Speaking of breakout performers, the rookie class has been a surprise for the Pistons, and some of the same reports that suggest the Celtics want Grant indicate they and other teams are interested. Even without getting anything from their seventh overall pick Killian Hayes before he went down with a hip injury, Isaiah Stewart and Saddiq Bey have been tremendous and rival teams are taking note.

Bey won Eastern Conference Player of the Week in February and was the first Piston rookie to do so since Kelly Tripucka in 1982. He did this largely on the strength of a 30-point, 12-rebound outing against the Celtics where he shot 7-of-7 from 3-point range, and there’s no doubt he’s a player Danny Ainge would love to almost get.

These two rookies are part of the culture Troy Weaver and head coach Dwane Casey want to build in Detroit, though, and Bey in particular has some star potential. The Pistons won’t part with them.

Pass