What Pistons players are truly off-limits at trade deadline?

Fuggedaboutit: I laugh in your face

There is only one player who, unless the name LeBron, Luka, Steph or Nikola is brought up, that is completely off limits:

Cade Cunningham

Cunningham, once he shook off the rust from sitting out most of the preseason due to an ankle injury, is looking exactly like the player the Pistons expected when they drafted him No. 1 overall.

Cunningham is also starting to fill the role of team leader. With Jerami Grant out with a thumb injury since early December, the Pistons have been hurting at crunch time for someone to take the big shot. Cunningham has no problem being that person.

The 6-foot-6 guard is not only a part of the Pistons future, he is a centerpiece they are building around. Detroit has zero interest in dealing him. If a team brought up Cunningham’s name, Weaver would simply laugh, and politely hang up.

The Godfather offer

There are players who Detroit is amenable to deal, but only for the right offer.  Another club would have to be ready to make a ‘Godfather’ type, an offer so good the Pistons could not refuse.

Here are the few players where Detroit would go for a trade, if their socks were knocked off:

Jerami Grant

Enough has been written about Grant and the trade deadline so we are not going to get too much into his situation.

The bottom line is, Grant has a year left on his contract after this season and is not seeking to get out of Detroit. The Pistons are under no pressure to deal him. They could easily wait until the summer for a better deal, or decide to sign him to an extension.

Additionally, Grant and GM Troy Weaver are close, he would not just dump Grant into a spot he would be uncomfortable in.

So, if there is a deal put on the table that will help the team, Weaver will pull the trigger. But if no one makes a substantial offer, Grant remains in Detroit.

Kelly Olynyk

Big men who can hit the three-pointer are quite valuable in the NBA. Olynyk is 6-foot-11 and can play either forward or center. He has also been on teams like Boston and Miami that made deep playoff runs.

Other teams could certainly use the Canadian, but so can Detroit. After missing 70 days with a knee sprain, Olynyk returned to the Pistons lineup and immediately helped them with 22 points in a win over the Sacramento Kings.

Besides the points, many of the Pistons younger players talked afterward about how much Olynyk helped them on the court, being a veteran who knew how things should be set up. He is a definite plus for the younger players in learning the game.

While the offers will not be as large, and the number of teams inquiring not as many as with Grant, they are in similar situations.

Olynyk signed a three-year, $39 million contract with Detroit in the off-season, so he came in knowing this was a team rebuilding. He is not looking to leave.

But if Weaver gets a nice offer for Olynyk, like a first-rounder, off he goes. However, if Detroit keeps Olynyk, that is more than fine. He has a lot to offer, both on and off the court.

Saddiq Bey

Bey almost made the Fugetaboutit category, but he is rumored to have been part of Detroit’s offer to the 76ers for Ben Simmons, so he is not completely untouchable.

After a slow start, the 6-foot-7 Villanova product has had a sophomore campaign Detroit hoped for. When most of the starters were wiped out due to being in health & safety protocols or injuries, Bey stepped up and was scoring over 30 points a game.

Bey has increased his scoring, rebounding and assists from last season. And it was not like he did not play well last year, being named first team All-Rookie after all.

He has also shown the ability to play some power forward, as well as his normal small forward position. If Grant and/or Olynyk do get traded, that ability will come in handy.

It would take most likely a couple of first-rounders and a promising young player to pry Bey away from the Pistons. Definitely a team would have to make a ‘Godfather’ offer.