By any measure, the Detroit Pistons’ signing of Malik Beasley last summer was one of the best in the entire NBA.
Beasley is averaging 16 points per game, knocking down over 41 percent of his 3-point shots on nearly nine per game. He’s 4th in the NBA in 3-pointers made and has done most of this damage off the bench.
He’s been a positive on and off the court for the young Pistons, as his teammates love him and he gives them a little swagger and confidence that they were missing.
And he’s doing all this for $6 million a year, a lowball contract by NBA standards, as he’s arguably been one of the best bench players in the league this season.
It’s all of those reasons that there will be plenty of teams calling about Beasley as the trade deadline approaches and the Pistons will have to make a tough call.
Should the Detroit Pistons trade Malik Beasley?
If Beasley were signed beyond this season, my answer to that would be absolutely not. He’s a quality role player on a bargain deal and is only 28-years-old, so he’s the perfect type of veteran to put around the young core.
But he’s not, and the Pistons can’t extend him this season, so Beasley is going to be an unrestricted free agent when it is over.
So if any team offers the Pistons a first-round pick for him in a trade, they almost have to take it, as they still owe the Timberwolves a pick and won’t be able to make a meaningful trade until they have multiple draft picks to package.
The Pistons don’t want to be in a Bojan Bogdanovic scenario where they miss the chance to cash in a veteran who may not be part of the future and end up with next to nothing by waiting too long.
The situations are not exactly the same, as Beasley is younger and still good, and if the Pistons had just traded Bogdanovic and Burks when they should have, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, as they would have already banked an extra first-round pick.
However, anything short of a first rounder and Detroit would have to think twice, as Beasley has been a huge positive for them and is one of the biggest reasons for their modest team improvement in 3-point shooting.
If all teams are offering is a second-round pick or two, I’d pass, ride out the season and hope to re-sign Beasley to a reasonable multi-year deal next summer.
But there is another scenario.
The dream scenario for the Pistons
I’m not sure there is a team out there that will be willing to part with a first-round pick for part of a season of Beasley, as that would be an expensive rental.
But given his contract, teams might not have a better option, as his deal is easy to absorb and would allow them to make other moves without any long-term obligations.
Let’s assume for a second that the Pistons could pry a first-round pick out of someone and decide to move Beasley.
They could always re-sign him in the offseason, and if they make their intentions clear to Beasley, I’m sure he’d understand the business of it and may get a chance to compete for a ring on a contender for the rest of the season.
The dream scenario is the Pistons landing a first-round pick and then getting Beasley back, as he’s been good for this team and could still be a part of their future.