Why the Detroit Pistons should move Andre Drummond

The Detroit Pistons star big man Andre Drummond has hit the trade market. Here’s why the Pistons should do what they can to get a deal done by the deadline.

It was a welcomed surprise when Pistons owner Tom Gores hinted that the Pistons might have to go in a different direction in order to start winning more games in the future.  Often steadfast in “staying the course” and trying to win now, Gores saying that he’s going to take a look at all options seemed like a step in the right direction for the franchise. The very next day, it became a little clearer which direction Gores was leaning toward when ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Pistons were in trade talks with the Atlanta Hawks for star big man Andre Drummond.

Drummond has played his whole career with the Pistons and has blossomed into a star over the last few years. Drummond is the premier rebounder in the NBA, a paint scoring threat, and has become a more than capable rim protector and overall defender as well. With the Pistons scuffling this season and truly lacking star talent, why would they want to get rid of a guy like Drummond? To put it simply: they have to.

Drummond has had some amazing moments as a Piston, and clearly they’d be a worse team this year without him, but it’s time for both to move on, and here’s three key reasons why.

1) The Team Isn’t Winning

Drummond is a great basketball player, but when you have a team that can’t support him, that fact doesn’t mean much at all. Since Drummond’s career started in 2012, the Pistons have only been able to muster one winning season. In addition to that, they’ve only made the playoffs twice, and have managed to come away with zero wins both times. This obviously isn’t all on Drummond, but if the team consistently can’t win with him, there’s no reason to keep beating a dead horse.

At some point, it becomes time to change things up and head in a different direction as a team, and the Pistons have been at that point for a while now.

Drummonds skillset is somewhat antiquated in the league today, but he’s so good at what he does he remains a force in the game. Drummond has managed to show us that there is still a place in this league for the more traditional big who can’t space the floor but can rebound and defend the paint with the best of them. He has also managed to show us, however, that in order for that type of player to succeed today, he needs players around him that compliments that skillset perfectly.

A player like Drummond needs shooters around him, and a guard who excels at the pick and roll and passing from it. If these players aren’t around Drummond, he doesn’t give defenses much to worry about until they need to box hm out. The Pistons don’t have these types of players and just haven’t been able to build around Drummond, and it will be even harder to do that once he demands more money for his services.

Drummond is a beast, but that doesn’t equate to wins, and it’s time for the Pistons to find a route to winning elsewhere.