With the Detroit Pistons recently being tied to rumors surrounding point guards, how necessary is it for Detroit to be shopping the market?
Last week, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press sent out a tweet saying the Detroit Pistons could reportedly have some interest in New York Knicks point guard Frank Ntilikina.
I gather #Pistons could have interest in #Knicks guard Frank Frank Ntilikina. The type of young talent team is looking to gain cheaply and hope more is shown as he matures. Only 21. #TooEarlyForTradeRumors
— VinceEllis (@AlabamaScribe56) October 11, 2019
And before that, Zach Lowe speculated via The Lowe Post that the Pistons could be interested in Kyle Lowry if the Toronto Raptors get off to a slow start. All of these rumors have certainly created a fair amount of speculation, however are they necessary?
With a current point guard rotation consisting off Reggie Jackson, Derrick Rose, and Tim Frazier, the first thing that may jump out at someone is the injury history of the former two. There’s a large concern that one of the two – if not both – may not be able to play the full duration of the season.
While admittedly Jackson did play the full 82 games last season, there’s always a worry that something may happen to him. Adding another young point guard may clog up the rotation and possibly stunt the growth of Frazier and Ntilikina.
However in an increasingly point guard driven league, the Pistons may be wise to stockpile as many as they can in order to maximize longevity at the position.
We’re focusing on Ntilikina for the sake of realism, however the principle applies to just about any point guard Detroit could possibly trade for. At the end of the day, the Pistons would have to give up one of the point guards they already have, and the player being traded for would have to be better than what Detroit already has. That likely isn’t achievable.