The February 9th trade deadline is inching closer and the Detroit Pistons have been mentioned in rumors involving everyone from Bojan Bogdanovic, to Alec Burks, to Saddiq Bey.
Bogdanovic seems like the most likely to be moved, as he is 33-years-old and would likely net the Pistons the biggest return in any deal.
Bey started getting mentioned in trade rumors in December, with Detroit Pistons continuing their posturing of “we don’t want to move him…but” and then naming their price as a first-round pick according to several reports.
Bey’s numbers have taken a slide this season, but there are still hopes he can turn around his shooting and be the 3-and-D forward the Pistons need. But the real problem has been the defense part of the equation, as Bey has the third-worst defensive rating among NBA forwards.
For reference, Bogdanovic has the worst, which is another reason Bey could potentially be on the table, as it is difficult to have two forwards who are below-average defenders on the floor at the same time, one of the things that has led to Detroit’s historically bad defense.
It would be painful to give up on Bey, as he has flashed star talent at times and is a tough player who works hard and embodies the basketball culture of Detroit.
Bey has also shown some life over the last four games, averaging over 22 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in an expanded role with so many of his teammates out with injury. Saddiq Bey can still be a very good role player on a good team, which is why the Detroit Pistons should be leery about trading him to the Miami Heat, one of the teams reportedly inquiring about him.
Let’s take a look at one possibility and why the Pistons should probably run away.