If you have paid a modicum of attention to the Detroit Pistons over the past six months, it is impossible to imagine no transactions between now and the 3 p.m. trade deadline on Thursday.
Troy Weaver has dramatically overhauled this roster in his own image, with second-year Sekou Doumbouya being the lone holdover from the previous regime. In other words, no one on the roster is safe from being moved. Everyone has a price.
Detroit did a lot of jockeying in the offseason to draft a foundational rookie class and introduce budding stars like Jerami Grant to the Motor City.
During the season, despite a limited buffet of movable assets, Detroit has continued its roster savviness. The Pistons managed to stockpile draft capital, create extra cap room, and test drive young prospects by offloading Derrick Rose, Blake Griffin, and Svi Mykhailiuk while adding Dennis Smith Jr. and Hamidou Diallo.
Reason stands that Detroit isn’t finished wheeling and dealing. But with so much of the grunt work already having taken place, the following days could be quieter than anticipated.
With the players currently on the roster, there is really only one question that needs answering when considering a deal: Does keeping said player help for the future?
With this question in mind, it is clear how the Pistons should be thinking up to the deadline.
Detroit Pistons: Must-trade- Wayne Ellington
Ellington was signed just three weeks before the season’s start. He was, quite literally, a body to fill out Detroit’s talent-starved roster.
That he has played remotely well enough to warrant any trade value is a win. He is on an expiring veteran minimum deal, which serves little purpose for the Pistons but is a bargain for a potential contender.
And there isn’t a contender out there that couldn’t use Ellington’s sharpshooting. Almost 80 percent of his shots come from beyond the 3-point line, and he is hitting them at a blistering 42 percent clip.
It would be a disservice to Ellington to keep him around when his services could be utilized elsewhere. He is not a part of the franchise’s future and deserves the shot to compete for a ring.