On Sunday night ESPN held a “Trade Season Special” featuring Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe, where they speculated the Detroit Pistons big man could be on the move.
It should come as no surprise that the Detroit Pistons will receive some phone calls regarding their All-Star big man Andre Drummond. It’s even less surprising that the team who may have the largest interest is the Dallas Mavericks.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski mentioned that Dallas wants a big physical presence alongside Kristaps Porzingis on a “Trade Season Special” show. He later mentioned the names of both Drummond and Montrezl Harrell. So while this does not directly mean that the Mavericks will attempt to pursue Drummond, it’s certainly within the realm of possibility.
What the return could possibly look like is unknown. Some have speculated that Tim Hardaway Jr. could be in the mix, which would most likely be the easiest way to match up salaries.
On Woj and Lowe trade preview show, some mention of #Pistons and #Mavs, possibly with Andre Drummond and Tim Hardaway Jr. involved. Thoughts?
— Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) December 16, 2019
While there is most definitely a world where the Pistons do part ways with Drummond, it’s hard to imagine that it’s for a package that’s centered on a shooting guard. Detroit has had a surplus of guards for several years, and with the emergence of Luke Kennard and Langston Galloway‘s offensive output this season, throwing another player averaging nearly 11 shots attempts per game doesn’t necessarily feel like a good fit.
It’s not a slight against Hardaway’s abilities, he just shouldn’t be what the Pistons are looking for. Conversely, the Mavericks may look to deal for a big man who can stretch the floor better than Dwight Powell, and can protect the rim more aggressively. Maybe Myles Turner is that player for them.
However if both sides are motivated, what could a potential deal look like?
Dallas being unable to trade their 2020 first round pick (the Stepien Rule disallows teams from trading first round picks in back-to-back seasons under most circumstances) could cause an issue, which is why they’re surrendering back-to-back second round picks.
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This would mainly be due to the Pistons’ hand being forced if Drummond were to be traded – Blake Griffin would likely be next. Detroit would look to stock up on as much draft capital as they can.
Even then, Dallas may not feel too comfortable letting one of their best role players leave, so what if they kept Powell and still landed Drummond? This could be done by trading away Hardaway along with Maxi Kleber (who’s ineligible to be traded until January 15th) and Justin Jackson. This way Detroit is still getting a return of a potential filler at the center position, and a slowly developing player in Jackson. There’s a possibility that Detroit would still require a second round pick in this deal.
It all seems a bit unlikely and a bit far fetched, but the Mavericks’ fan base has certainly made it known that they want Drummond in Dallas. There are likely better trader partners out there for the Pistons to negotiate with, as there aren’t too many ways that Detroit fans would come out of any potential deal here feeling a little discouraged.
As of Dec.15th, a large majority of the league became eligible to be traded, and a lot of eyes will be on Detroit to see what happens with Drummond.