Detroit Pistons: This player has likely played his final game in Detroit

The Detroit Pistons started the trade season as one of the hottest names in the league, but trade rumors have since cooled around players like Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks.

That doesn’t mean that some team won’t come out of nowhere with an offer big enough to entice the Detroit Pistons, but it will take a big return, as the Pistons hope to be “great next year” and will need some impact veterans to do it.

Detroit isn’t going to make a move just to satisfy a restless fanbase, and doing nothing at the deadline would be preferable to taking a step back in exchange for more hope, especially for those of us who hope to see the Pistons competitive again in our lifetimes.

This roster, with the addition of some lottery luck and the right free agents, could be competitive next season, so keeping Bogdanovic and Burks would not be the worst outcome.

But the Detroit Pistons are likely to make at least one minor move at the trade deadline, and that is to trade veteran Nerlens Noel.

Detroit Pistons: Trade rumors around Nerlens Noel at the trade deadline

When the Pistons acquired Nerlens Noel in a salary dump by the Knicks, he seemed like the type of defensive-minded veteran who could really help this young team. Given the Pistons dearth of real centers, Noel figured to be part of the rotation, even if he was only playing 15 minutes a night as a backup rim protector.

But that has not been the case, as Noel started the season injured and has since played just 13 games even though the Pistons have had injuries to their big-man group. The emergence of Jalen Duren, along with the play of Isaiah Stewart, has made Noel irrelevant, and since he has just a team option for next season that Detroit has no interest in exercising, he’ll likely be moved at the deadline.

According to James Edwards III of The Athletic (SUBSCRIPTION) there are at least six teams who have called the Detroit Pistons about Noel, including the Heat, Nuggets, Mavericks, Kings, 76ers and Celtics, who are all looking for big man help.

I’ve outlined some of the challenges of trading Noel, as his contract is tough for most teams to match given his limited production. But recent rumors that the Celtics may be shopping one of their forwards could yield something for the Pistons, though there are complications with that as well.

The Detroit Pistons may or may not make a splashy move, but it’s likely that Nerlens Noel has played his last game in Detroit.