Detroit Pistons: Evaluating Reggie Jackson’s trade value
Reggie Jackson will reportedly be moved before the NBA trade deadline. Here’s what he will provide to another team and what the Detroit Pistons may receive.
If the Detroit Pistons are going to upgrade their roster, it’s becoming clear that Reggie Jackson will be involved.
Jackson, 29, is an unrestricted free agent following the 2019-20 season. In Detroit News’ beat writer Rod Beard’s mailbag, he mentioned Jackson is likely on the move at some point when giving a reason for the Pistons low projected win total (37.5).
"“Rose is a good addition behind Reggie Jackson, who very likely will be moved before the trade deadline — and that could be another reason for the lower projection, because of the chemistry changes that could follow from the roster,” Beard wrote."
It seems to be the first mention of a potential trade from a beat writer. It also gives a sense that the Pistons may not be finished making moves before the season starts or by the late playoff push.
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Jackson’s best value may be his $16 million expiring contract. The Pistons could easily match salary making a play for a more-expensive point guard or wing with Jackson’s contract.
While everyone is looking ahead to the 2021 free agency class, the 2020 class has solid players. Detroit could target Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, Goran Dragic or Jeff Teague in a point-guard swap as all five players will be unrestricted free agents. Kris Dunn would be another option as he will be a restricted free agent.
The Pistons are coming off a 41-41 season, which could have been better had Blake Griffin not missed time late in the season. They made the playoffs for the second time in four years but were swept out of the playoffs, again. The Pistons playoff woes continue as they’ve lost 14-straight playoff games dating back to the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics.
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Andre Drummond has a player option that he can opt-in to for $28 million following the 2019-20 season. Barring a disastrous or injury-ridden season, which there are no signs of given he’s played a full season each year in the league, it seems likely Drummond would refuse that option and test the open market. With Draymond Green‘s recent contract extension and Anthony Davis joining forces with LeBron James in Los Angeles, Drummond may be the best center option on the open market next summer.
Jackson is a quality trade chip, not only due to his expiring contract but also because he’s a solid player. Last season his usage rate was the lowest it’s been in Detroit, down to 24.5 percent. As Dwane Casey entered his first season with the Pistons, he opted to use Griffin as a primary ball handler in halfcourt sets.
The result was Jackson shooting a career-high 36.9 percent from 3-point range. His 3-point attempts shot up by two per game to 5.7 attempts per contest. In turn, he had a career-best 54.7 true shooting percentage, despite not being as efficient around the rim. On corner 3-pointers, Jackson hit 40.7 percent of his attempts.
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Improved 3-point shooting will be an selling point for a team that may be looking to contend and get to the Finals, which is more likely if Jackson is the one being shopped.
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Jackson’s 2-point percentage dropped from 70.7 percent in 2017-18 to last year’s 55 percent. Prior to Casey’s arrival, Jackson had a usage rate up to 29.1 percent in Stan Van Gundy’s offense. He was primarily a pick-and-roll player that excelled at finishing around the rim.
Expect Jackson to rebound, maybe not all the way up to 71 percent but expect him to improve on 55 percent.
He is a proven ball-handler, which adds to his skillset. His highest assists-per 100 possessions is 10.2 but last year it dipped to 7.4. That’s attributed directly to his decreasing usage rate. Even still he posted a 2.32 assist-to-turnover ration with a 24 percent assist rate. With a slight bump in usage, his assist rate is easily over 30 percent during his time in Detroit.
Of course, his most valuable asset is his health. Jackson started and played in 82 games for the first time in his eight-year career. He started 79 games in his age-25 season four seasons ago.
There will be concerns about Jackson’s health but he’s proven, when healthy, he is a solid 3-point shooter that thrives in the pick-and-roll.
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What are your expectations for Reggie Jackson this year or beyond? If he’s traded, what do you hope the Pistons return for him? Let us know in the comments section or by liking Piston Powered on Facebook or following Piston Powered on Twitter.