Should The Detroit Pistons trade Reggie Bullock and Ish Smith?

Reggie Bullock and Ish Smith have been involved in trade rumors. But would the two be more valuable for the Detroit Pistons moving forward; or as potential trade assets?

As the 2018-19 NBA trade deadline approaches, every single player on the Detroit Pistons’ roster has been involved in a mock trade at some point. Such is the life of fans that faithfully, lovingly and sometimes painfully root for a team stuck in the no man’s land of residing somewhere in between contention and tanking.

With reports coming from the Detroit Free Press amongst other sources saying that guard/forward Reggie Bullock and backup point guard Ish Smith have both garnered interest on the trade market. The inevitable decision comes down to this: do the two have more value on the Detroit Pistons, or as trade assets?

Reggie Bullock

Bullock, 27, has played well since joining the Pistons. He shoots nearly 40 percent from three on over six shot attempts per game, and nets 12.4 points per contest with a true shooting percentage of 57.8.

You can make the case that Bullock is the Pistons’ best offensive player behind Blake Griffin.

Prior to scoring eight points in Saturday’s loss to the Sacramento Kings, Bullock had scored in double figures in nine straight games, with a high of 19 coming in Friday’s win over the Miami Heat, as well as the team’s loss to the Utah Jazz on Saturday, January 5th.

Bullock is exactly the type of player the Detroit Pistons need to maximize Griffin’s window with this team. His shooting and slashing ability have been a perfect complement to Griffin’s game and the two showed a near instant chemistry when Griffin arrived in Detroit a year ago that has carried over into the current season.

To boot, Bullock is also a solid perimeter defender. A team in desperate need of perimeter defense could use Bullock.

Making $2.5 million this season, Bullock will be a free agent in the off-season. And the Pistons must weigh the costs and benefits of resigning him versus a trade. Reports have indicated the team would like to resign Bullock; but it makes for a tricky situation.

While the Pistons will have Bullock’s bird rights; meaning they can resign him no matter the cap ramifications. Though the team is expected to be over the projected salary cap of $109 million, it is also projected to be well below the $132 million luxury tax, so they could comfortably resign Bullock if they so choose.

There are other cap ramifications if the team decides not to resign Bullock, though that may be a topic for a different article.

But, the question remains, what kind of offer would it take to pry Bullock away from the roster?

Bullock would be a valued commodity for any contender looking for an extra piece in a title push. Some scenarios, such as if a first round pick was offered, would be a no-brainer. It would be smart for the Pistons to add another first to their own pick; giving the team flexibility in the draft as well as potentially more ammunition to make another trade if they decided to go that route.

But what else? A second rounder? A comparable wing player or guard? The lines start to get blurry, for me at least, when considering this. Would it be worth it to sacrifice the chemistry and value Bullock brings to the team for any of these other options?

Ish Smith

As PistonPowered’s Ku Khahil wrote a week ago, Smith has proven to be an immensely valuable piece to this roster when healthy, as his presence as a backup point guard is just that much better than the alternative (Jose Calderon, yuck).

Smith pushes the pace in a way the team just doesn’t do very often without him on the floor. And when he missed extended time in December; the team as a whole suffered, as evidenced by the stats laid out in Khahil’s article.

The Pistons have been involved in trade rumors involving point guards Markelle Fultz and Dennis Smith, Jr.. And the position remains perhaps the weakest spot on the roster depending on who you ask.

Would an addition of Fultz, Smith, or another point guard bring an immediate increase in play and performance? Maybe,  but that fact might have to do more with Reggie Jackson and Jose Calderon than it does Smith.

Though the Pistons say they want to resign Smith, his presence on the team does seem a bit more tenuous than does Bullock’s. And with reports saying Smith was feeling tightness in his right abductor after Friday’s game — the same issue that caused him to miss time earlier — his health may be a factor to consider here as well.

Still, though, while Smith may have his flaws, and certainly is not the long-term answer at the position; he most certainly looks like part of the short-term answer.

The Pistons will undoubtedly be searching for some sort of clarity on these issues during the final nine games before the trade deadline. Where does the best value reside? In a weak Eastern Conference, the team is unlikely to fall very far out of playoff contention; which could make thoughts of rebuilding and/or tanking simply not worth it.