The Detroit Pistons made major headlines when they got involved in a three-team trade featuring Rudy Gay, now of the Toronto Raptors. The Pistons shipped off Austin Daye and veteran Tayshaun Prince to the Memphis Grizzlies to get Jose Calderon. With the team now building around big men Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond, could more trades be in the works before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline?
Detroit Pistons trade rumors: Jonas Jerebko, Rodney Stuckey have teams interested
Just because the Pistons already made a big splash in the trade pool this season, it doesn’t mean they are done making adjustments to their roster.
The Pistons’ Outlook
When the Piston re-signed Prince to a four-year, $27 million deal back in 2011, it did not signal to the fan base that the team was planning to rebuild. Times might be changing. Joe Dumars has struck gold with two young big men in 22 year-old Monroe and 19 year-old Drummond, and the pairing now makes up the core of the team, along with 21 year-old point guard Brandon Knight.
DETROIT BAD BOYS: Prince shocked by trade to Grizzlies
Dumars must decide how he is going to build around his power forward and center. His first move was to bring in Calderon, who is averaging 15.0 points and 7.0 assists in his first six games with the team. Calderon is in the final year of his contract, and Dumars can either bring him back into the fold to lead the young team or let his $11 million contract clear the books in the offseason.
Dumars also has decisions to make on three other expiring contracts in Will Bynum ($3.2 million), Jason Maxiell ($5 million) and Corey Maggette ($10.9 million), per Vince Ellis of Detroit Free Press.
Teams calling about Jonas Jerebko and Rodney Stuckey
The 25 year-old Jerebko has fallen out of favor in Detroit. He is making $4.5 million this season and again next season, but has a player option for the 2014-15 season at the same number. Jerebko has only appeared in 22 games and is averaging just 14.5 minutes per game and 5.1 points. Clearing his contract could give the team some flexibility and might return a player the team could use.
Stuckey, once deemed the point guard of the future in Detroit, is having a down year. He is averaging a career low in field goal percentage at 38.6 percent and his scoring has dipped to 11.3 points per game, his lowest totals since his rookie season in 2007-08. Stuckey is making $8.5 million this season and next season, but his contract indicates that he is only partially guaranteed $4 million for the 2013-14 season, per Story Tellers Contracts.
Teams have been inquiring most about Jerebko and Stuckey, per Vince Ellis, as they could be potential low buys if Dumars is set on trading them.
What’s the gist?
The Pistons are heading in a new direction with Monroe and Drummond as their anchors and Knight still developing. With plenty of contracts set to come off the books, Dumars has his work cut out for him. Things are looking up for Detroit and the roster will gain some much needed flexibility soon.
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