Detroit Pistons’ Andre Drummond not likely to be traded?

Will the Detroit Pistons trade Andre Drummond? According to Stan Van Gundy, nothing serious has materialized yet.

Andre Drummond is definitely available, but the Detroit Pistons aren’t going to trade him for scraps.

There have been rumors about a potential Drummond trade surrounding the Boston Celtics, but that is purely speculative at this point.

That rumor was started because Andre Drummond retweeted eye emojis from Isaiah Thomas and then tweeted the same emoji himself.

Why is that even significant? Well, the last time Isaiah Thomas tweeted that emoji, the Celtics subsequently signed Al Horford.

A stretch? Probably. If anything, Drummond was probably trolling.

That said, there have been discussions around a Drummond trade, though Stan Van Gundy says there haven’t been serious talks.

Via Detroit Free Press:

"Van Gundy said “there haven’t been serious discussions about Andre.”He added: “It’s every player in the NBA. This is absolutely part of the job and part of the job description. I’m not ever going to be that guy – rightly or wrongly – I’m never going to be that guy to gather ’em up and say, ‘Look, we’re not trading any of ya.’“You don’t know what could come up. You have to learn to deal with this in the NBA.”“We want to keep him,” one person texted to the Free Press."

There’s some conflicting information here.

Van Gundy and the Pistons are clearly shopping Drummond, presumably to net stronger future assets, better fitting parts, and/or more palatable contracts.

Yet a source indicates to the Free Press that they want to keep Drummond.

My gut feeling is that the Pistons are going to move Drummond if they get the right blend of the aforementioned components. Personally, I wouldn’t move Drummond for anything less than a top-5 pick and a proven player with upside. The only teams that can really provide that would be the Phoenix Suns and the Boston Celtics.

I’ll add that if Drummond is traded, I think Jackson is too–in fact, that might be what the Pistons are hoping for.

I’d imagine that the Pistons feel that they can compete for a playoff spot without Jackson and Drummond, particularly if the net the right players. Quite frankly neither player has been very consistent this season and both have taken steps back–yet the Pistons find themselves just a game back from last season’s all-star break record.

Next: Should Pistons break up their core?

Why not stay competitive and acquire a high draft pick which could net true superstar, especially in what is perceived as a strong draft class? It’s not like the Detroit Pistons can compete with the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers in the next two years anyway.