NBA Trade Rumors: 5 deals Knicks need to make
By Tom West
Brandon Jennings
Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy has said how keen he is on Brandon Jennings now that he’s returned after missing the first two months of the season while recovering from an achilles injury. It’s understandable giving the clear scoring talent and energy that Jennings has, but he’s also been a streaky player throughout his career as a high-volume scorer (39.1 percent shooting since entering the league).
On top of that, the elevated play of Reggie Jackson this season only increases the likelihood of the Pistons trading their now backup point guard Jennings.
As for the Knicks’ involvement in a potential move for Jennings, they have already been linked to him since mid December. Marc Berman of the New York Post has reported their interest in the point guard:
"The Knicks have Pistons backup point guard Brandon Jennings, a free agent this summer, on their radar, but that would require a complicated trade. Point guard Jose Calderon has been erratic and, after a red-hot start to the season, backup Galloway has cooled."
As Berman pointed out, Calderon and Galloway haven’t been great options running the show. The former is slow defensively and hesitates when looking to make plays on offense at times, while Galloway’s shooting has cooled off completely. He’s now at 40.1 percent shooting for the season, and has been completely inefficient from mid-range (just 31 percent from 16 feet, where he takes a quarter of his shots).
In order to replace Jennings in Detroit, the Knicks could try and offer Jose Calderon in return to serve a small role for them off the bench. To complete their side of the bargain, perhaps adding a backup big man like Kyle O’Quinn into the equation would work for the Pistons. Despite the way he slows down the offense, he at least plays tough inside, he brings them more size at 6’10”, he’s averaging 13.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2 blocks per 36 minutes this season, and he’d be worthy of some interest. Plus, this trade would work for both teams in terms of salary cap.
One issue with Jennings is the high shot frequency and low accuracy, which could be something that may clash at times with the similar traits of Carmelo Anthony. Although, seeing as Melo looks more willing to pass this season and not hog the ball (indicated by a career-high 3.8 assists), maybe this won’t be as much of a problem as it could have been in the past.
Jennings’ scoring spark would still be a highly welcome attribute for the Knicks and even though he’s never been too sound defensively, he can still be better than Calderon.
Next: A shot at a top-tier point guard