Detroit Pistons: Possible Wayne Ellington trades to Lakers or Mavericks

The Detroit Pistons will probably be active at the trade deadline and Wayne Ellington is one of the players who could be on the move.

Ellington started the season red-hot from behind the 3-point line only to fall back to Earth recently but is still shooting over 41 percent on six attempts per game, numbers that put him in elite company, as there are only four players in the entire league who shoot at least six per game and have a better percentage.

Ellington is also making only $3 million this season, so his contract would be easy to move.

We identified five teams who might want to trade for Wayne Ellington based on a few criteria.

We looked for teams that are contenders but lack 3-point shooting, so all of them were teams that have playoff or title aspirations but find themselves middle-of-the-pack or lower in team 3-point percentage.

Detroit Pistons: The Lakers and Mavericks could be interested in Wayne Ellington

Both the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks fall into the category of teams that are contending but may want to add depth and 3-point shooting.

The Pistons were never likely to get a huge return for Wayne Ellington but it’s fair to question whether they should have moved him when he was leading the league in 3-point shooting and might have looked even more appealing to a contender.

It’s also fair to wonder what, if anything, these teams would be willing to give up for a half season of a guy who is 33-years-old, even if he has an important skill.

Let’s start with the Lakers, who are going to have a hard time trading for anyone given their cap situation and lack of draft picks.