One big question for every NBA team

Will Detroit trade either Reggie Jackson or Andre Drummond?

Detroit has had an interesting few weeks since the start of July. The Pistons raised eyebrows across the NBA when they signed Langston Galloway for $21 million over three years right out of the gate in free agency. A week later they traded Marcus Morris for Avery Bradley and a 2019 second-rounder from the Celtics. That move ensured the departure of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, whom the Pistons had adamantly indicated they would retain at any cost.

Moving on from KCP means that Detroit won’t run into tax problems this season, which became a very real possibility after the Galloway signing. Bradley is a better player than Caldwell-Pope, but he’ll be an unrestricted free agent next year and will demand a big contract. The Pistons ducked the tax this year, but they will still face potentially hefty tax payments in the near future.

Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond seem like players that the Pistons might deal in order to cut costs and move in a different direction. Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders reported in early June that the Pistons were feeling out the trade value of both players across the league. Drummond and Jackson had rough seasons last year, so their value has probably dipped.

Prior to the trade deadline a Jackson trade seemed possible. And with Langston Galloway and Ish Smith on the roster in addition to Jackson, the Pistons have a guard logjam that they need to alleviate. The problem is that most teams have now filled their point guard needs, so the market for Jackson could be ice cold. Drummond is probably more movable than Jackson at this point, even though his development has stagnated over the past year. He is younger and a team with assets might be willing to gamble on him despite the many weaknesses in his game.

Drummond has yet to make significant improvement on the defensive end and his offensive game has atrophied. He shot a career low 49 percent within 3 feet of the basket last year (per Basketball-Reference), which is borderline unthinkable for a big with his athleticism. Andre also seems to have developed Dwight Howard syndrome, attempting just over four post up shots per game despite not having an effective game from the post; Drummond shot an ugly 41 percent on those looks last year (per NBA Stats).

In the 2015-16 season the Jackson/Drummond pick-and-roll was killing opponents and functioned as the lifeblood of Detroit’s offense. At this point though, Detroit has to think hard about dealing at least one of those guys.