The Detroit Pistons have been at the center of many NBA trade rumors, most of them involving Bojan Bogdanovic or Alec Burks.
Both veterans have been great for the Pistons this season and are among the league leaders in 3-point percentage, with Alec Burks currently 5th in the league hitting 45.3 percent of his long-range attempts.
There are a number of teams that could use his shooting, so Burks is a guy who is going to get a lot of attention as the trade deadline gets nearer.
The Detroit Pistons have reportedly said that they won’t trade either of their veterans without a “tremendous return” according to Jake Fischer among others.
While that price has been set when it comes to Bojan Bogdanovic, for whom the Pistons want at least an unprotected first-round pick, it’s a little less certain when it comes to Burks.
So what type of return would the Detroit Pistons require to trade Alec Burks? The real answer is that it may not exist.
Detroit Pistons: Trading Alec Burks would take a huge offer
The Detroit Pistons have repeatedly said that they want to compete next season and that trading away their only two good veterans is clearly not the way to do it. But we’ve heard this posturing before, so we know that if the right offer is out there, the Pistons will pounce even if it means taking a step back in the short term.
But what would that offer look like? Contending teams are unlikely to give up a good first-round pick for Burks, who is a 31-year-old bench player, even though he is on a value deal with a team option for next season. He wouldn’t be a rental and is a proven shooter who could really help someone.
But the Pistons would have to take back $10 million in salary, which means either taking on someone else’s problem or a combination of young, unproven players. Even if a team were willing to give up a couple of young prospects and a late first-round pick, would that even be worth it for a guy who is on a good deal who we know can actually play?
Probably not, which means we will know a lot about the Pistons’ future plans for next season if they trade away Burks in such a deal. He’s a known commodity who provides a skillset at a position of need for Detroit, and you’ll get no guarantee of that from a bunch of unproven young guys.
I can’t see the Detroit Pistons moving Burks, as the return they are likely to get does not equal his value to the team, so the only way it will likely happen is if some team really is willing to put a “tremendous” offer on the table or Burks is combined with another player in a bigger move.