Pistons news: Porter Jr. trade sets off flurry of rumors

We are in the final week before the regular season begins and the Detroit Pistons are gearing up for what they hope will be a competitive season.

There are certainly some roadblocks standing in the way of the Pistons’ stated goal of being competitive in all 82 games, one of which is the makeup and quality of their roster.

Detroit has too many bigs and guards, and not enough wings and forwards, which we have discussed ad nauseam over the offseason. With a spot on the roster still open, we’ve been waiting for Troy Weaver to swing another trade before the season starts or at least by the trade deadline.

We are certain to hear Detroit’s name come up, as contending teams will be sniffing around Bojan Bogdanovic, Alec Burks and Joe Harris as valuable veteran shooters.

That action may have started already. The Rockets were able to trade Kevin Porter Jr. and two second-round picks to the OKC Thunder in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. It’s a somewhat cynical move by the Thunder considering KPJ’s past, but hey, if you can punt your ethics out the window for two second-round picks, why not?

This trade set off a flurry of rumors, one of which involved the Detroit Pistons.

Detroit Pistons in trade rumor involving Alec Burks and Victor Oladipo

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the Detroit Pistons had a discussion with the Rockets involving Alec Burks and Victor Oladipo.

There were no details of the discussion, but it seems like the Rockets would have to add a sweetener, as Oladipo is always hurt, coming off another surgery and Alec Burks is one of the more reliable bench shooters in the NBA.

These talks were likely just exploratory, as the Rockets hope to make a move toward the playoffs this season and could use more veteran depth and shooting. Even if Oladipo were healthy (big IF), he’s not much of a shooter and Burks has historically been far more reliable.

There would have to be more to any such trade to make it worthwhile for Detroit, though Burks could be on the move if Monty Williams sees Killian Hayes and Marcus Sasser as potential parts of his rotation.