Detroit Pistons: 5 bold predictions for the trade deadline

Detroit Pistons: Bold trade deadline predictions

#4 Noel trade gets the Pistons another pick

Nerlens Noel cemented his role as a defensive stopper long before coming to Detroit, which is good, because he hasn’t played enough here to earn much of a reputation for anything. He has a $10 million team option for next season that the Detroit Pistons wouldn’t dream of picking up. If they can’t flip him now his supposed defense won’t entice the team to bring him back, even if he’s completely healthy, which he wasn’t when he got here.

Noel isn’t going to bring back the young talent or future 1st that Pistons fans are hoping Burks and Bogdanovic trades will yield, but he just might be enough for us to snag another 2nd rounder. Second-round picks are not huge assets by any means, but would give the Detroit Pistons more assets in future trades or the chance to add developmental talent.

#5 Bye-Bye Bey

Saddiq Bey has been a fan favorite since arriving in the Motor City. It took him no time at all to exceed the expectations of your typical player drafted 19th overall. As part of the same draft class as Isaiah Stewart and Killian Hayes, Bey was part of the first bastion of hope for the Pistons faithful in the post-Andre Drummond era. When he went for 51 points last March he looked like a future All-Star. Take a wider angle when looking at his career and it’s a hard to ignore the sagging 3-point percentage, which has dipped from 38 percent as a rookie to under 34 percent thus far this season. His up-and-down play (and below-average defense) has presented the Detroit Pistons with a difficult choice heading into the offseason in which he becomes extension eligible. If some team comes a calling with an offer too good to refuse, Weaver won’t hesitate to flip him. While that’s stating the obvious it would mark the first time that Weaver has parted with one of his own players drafted in the first round since he got here and began his immediate teardown.

If and when the Pistons decide that Bey will not be worth the money he is likely to command in an extension, they should look to move him for a future 1st and figure out the rest later. If that time has already come, Bey will be gone come February 9th.