3 Detroit Pistons eligible to be traded on December 15th

The Detroit Pistons currently have the 2nd-worst record in the NBA and could be missing star Cade Cunningham for the rest of the season, which was pretty much the nightmare scenario entering the 2022-23 campaign.

They also have several veterans that could help contending teams, guys like Bojan Bogdanovic (who is already getting mentioned in rumors), Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel, so we are going be hearing Detroit pop up in a lot of trade rumors.

Those rumors will intensify after December 15th, when many players who have restrictions on being traded will flood the market. The Detroit Pistons have three players who will become eligible for trades on that date, but are these guys the Pistons want or will be able to trade?

Detroit Pistons: Trade-eligible players on December 15th

The Pistons have three players who will become eligible for trades on December 15th.

Rodney McGruder

McGruder has the right to veto any trade, and who knows, he might, as the veteran is comfortable in his role as a bench guy who collects a paycheck to essentially be another assistant coach.

The Pistons have tried to trade McGruder before, including last season. The trade fell apart and I am certain that Detroit regrets the fact that it did, as they missed their chance to get Bol Bol for nothing.

I doubt there is much of a market for McGruder, though he has shown that he can be a reliable 3-point shooter off the bench. If he goes anywhere, I expect the Pistons will reap a late second-round pick or some cash considerations at most.

Kevin Knox

Knox has had his moments for the Detroit Pistons, but still isn’t consistent enough to play big minutes in the rotation of a 6-win team that has had a ton of injury problems. He too will have very little trade value, as eventually teams are just going to give up on him as a “prospect.” It would take another team like Detroit that wanted to take a flyer on his talent. Good luck with that.

His contract is minimal and not guaranteed next season, so it’s possible, but Knox isn’t likely to go anywhere unless they need his salary in a bigger trade.

Marvin Bagley III

This one is interesting.

MBIII has all of the same concerns about his defense and ability to stay on the floor, but he has shown enough as an offensive threat (especially if he were coming off the right team’s bench) in the post to possible draw some interest.

He is on a reasonable deal and if there were some team out there looking for inside scoring, he could be a trade target. The Pistons may be willing to explore those options, as MBIII is not a great fit with either of the other bigs and doesn’t provide the rebounding or rim protection that the Pistons need.

I don’t think they would give him away for nothing by any means, but if some team had a surplus of wing defenders, the Pistons might be able to find a better fit even if he wasn’t as talented overall. I don’t see Bagley III getting a ton of attention, but he will be a name to watch if the Pistons don’t see him as a long-term fit with their other bigs.