Jalen Smith could be interesting trade target for the Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons have a chance to add talent to their roster at this year’s trade deadline in a number of ways.
The most obvious is a trade of Jerami Grant, who could be one of the best players available and might net the Pistons a haul since they have all of the leverage.
The Pistons would likely be seeking a young, NBA-ready talent, an expiring deal and a pick or two for Grant, and there are a lot of possible suitors out there.
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The Pistons also have a couple of veterans in Josh Jackson, Cory Joseph, Trey Lyles or even Kelly Olynyk who might draw some interest, though the return would obviously be low compared to what they’d potentially get for Jerami Grant.
There is one player who has been on the rise lately who the Pistons should have some interest in, and that’s Jalen Smith of the Phoenix Suns, who has come on over the last five games and likely isn’t part of the Suns’ future plans.
Jalen Smith should be a target for the Detroit Pistons
After not playing much in his rookie season, or most of this one, power forward Jalen Smith (the 10th pick in the 2020 draft) has been forced into action for the Suns after several of their players entered COVID protocol.
Smith has responded, putting up 15.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks for the Suns over the last five games while shooting 36 percent from 3-point range.
The Suns declined Smith’s option for 2022-23 already, which means he will be an unrestricted free agent after this season.
That makes him even less valuable, as the Suns have shown they don’t really want him and any team trading for him will be taking on the risk that he could just walk in free agency. The Suns also need to save money if they want to re-sign Deandre Ayton.
That could put him in play for a trade, whether it’s a blockbuster for Jerami Grant (think Smith, Crowder, filler and a pick) or even for a smaller trade involving some of the Pistons’ role players like Josh Jackson or Trey Lyles.
The questions are whether Smith is really a fit on the Detroit Pistons and if they should risk a trade for a guy who could walk at the end of the season.