Some Detroit Pistons just became eligible to trade

While it is not an official holiday, the date December 15 is looked forward to by many NBA general managers. It is the date when most of the players who signed contracts in the off-season are now eligible to be involved in trades.

Since it is based on the date of signing, not all players who received new contracts are eligible, for instance the Detroit Pistons‘ Hamidou Diallo can not be traded until January 15, but most players who signed in the off-season either free agent deals or extensions are now allowed to be in trades.

Now, this did not mean the players listed will be traded. It just means that, if Detroit general manager Troy Weaver thinks it is in the best interests of the team, they are now allowed to be moved.

The Pistons have six players who December 15 means they can now be sent somewhere else. Four played for Detroit last year and signed new deals, the other two came as free agents from other clubs.

FYI, Jerami Grant is not part of this. He signed his latest contract last year, so the Pistons have always been able to trade him this year if they wanted to.

Here are the six, with the odds of being part of a trade.

Detroit Pistons Returning Four

Frank Jackson 10-1

Jackson can shoot three-pointers, and every team in the NBA can use one of those. He was in a bad slump to start the season (who wasn’t), but it seems like he is returning to the form of late last year, when he was a 40-percent shooter from three.

Since he can play point or shooting guard, and is a good defensive player, if the Pistons did move Grant or Kelly Olynyk, he would be a throw-in player most teams would ask for,

Cory Joseph 7-1

With the emergence of Saben Lee, there really is no purpose for Joseph to be on the team. Cade Cunningham, Killian Hayes and Lee can handle the point guard duties. Joseph is a nice veteran to run the show, but the show has moved on for him in Detroit.

The odds for Joseph to be traded would be lower, but he has a player option for next season. A team looking to trade for him, may not want to commit itself for two years to a 30-year-old point guard who averages six-points a game.

Saben Lee 30-1

Lee has scorched the G-League, averaging over 30 points, and then dropped 17 on the Brooklyn Nets when given a chance to play with the big club. Lee injects some badly-needed athleticism into the lineup

Lee was on a two-way last year and just inked a new NBA contract with Detroit this summer.  Since his salary is not too high, he does not help in a multi-player trade in terms of matching salaries. It would be shocking if he was moved, as he seems to have a bright future here.

Rodney McGruder 20-1

After sitting on the bench last year, McGruder signed a one-year veteran minimum contract with Detroit because …. well, we are not quite sure. But he is in Detroit, and coach Dwane Casey loves having McGruder on the team:

McGruder, who was a part-time starter with the Heat, has not played badly in the rare times he has seen action, he just rarely plays Having a good role model who does not mind sitting is fine for a rebuilding team. If some NBA team was that interested in McGruder, they could have offered him more than the minimum when he was available.

The Pistons pair of newbies

Trey Lyles 15-1

Lyles is actually doing a little better in his career, as his 7.5 points average is slightly above his career average of 7.3. The problem is, due to Kelly Olynyk’s injury, he has to play out of position as a center, and it has caused major problems on the defensive end.

It is not Lyles’ fault. He is what he is, a backup ‘4’ with some outside shooting skills. He might be useful for a team looking to add depth or a throw-in if there is a Jerami Grant or Olynyk trade. We know Lyles is not attached to the city.

Kelly Olynyk 6-1

The big free agent signing, the 6-11 Canadian was suppose to bring spacing with his outside shooting and help shore up the center and power forward positions. Out of commission for at least six weeks with a knee sprain, by the time he returns, the season will be half over and the Pistons slight hopes for post-season play gone.

Like he had been in previous stops in Boston and Miami, Olynyk can be a valuable reserve for a team looking to go far in the playoffs. GM Troy Weaver will certainly get calls from playoff teams. Olynyk will turn 31 in April, so he is not part of the future. If Weaver is offered something good, Olynyk may be out of here.

The trade talks now get to intensify with the pool of players eligible expanding. That does not mean Troy Weaver will spring a deal, but his phone will certainly get busier.