Trade targets: All 30 teams
Detroit Pistons
Record: 27-27
9th place in East
Status: Buyers/sellers
Update (Feb. 16): Orlando traded Tobias Harris to Detroit for Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasov. Read the trade grades here.
Detroit is on pace to break a streak of six straight losing seasons and is gunning for its first playoff spot since the days of Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton.
Yet Pistons all-around honcho Stan Van Gundy is in an awkward place. His team is not ready to run with the elite, but there is no obvious position to upgrade. With a young foundation in place and plenty of financial flexibility this summer, chances are Van Gundy will play it conservatively at the trade deadline.
Potential trade targets
Ryan Anderson
It was Van Gundy who unleashed Anderson as a premier stretch-4 back in their Orlando days and he'd be just as good a fit on the Pistons, who in many ways have re-created the vibe of those Magic teams.
While Ersan Ilyasova has been OK as the starter in the Anderson role, he's only a decent copy of the original. In the end, it probably makes the most sense for Van Gundy to simply wait until this summer to target Anderson as a free agent.
Rudy Gay
The Pistons lack shot creators up and down the roster and get very little out of isolation. While iso-ball isn't Van Gundy's bag, it's still a tool every team needs. Gay would become Detroit's best one-on-one player. He could play the 3 and the 4 -- as does Marcus Morris -- while Stanley Johnson swings between 2 and 3.
The idea is to surround the Reggie Jackson-Andre Drummond foundation with length, shooting and versatility.
Markieff Morris
Morris fills a lot of Van Gundy's needs: floor spacing from a big-man position and the ability to create offense in isolation. Morris, anointed as the Suns' go-to player by new coach Earl Watson, is showing again that he can put up numbers. Reuniting him with his twin brother, Marcus Morris, would make sense.
Marcus Thornton
This is less splashy, but Thornton would address Detroit's need for an outside shooter and shot creator on the wing, and he's on an expiring contract. If Houston decides to shake up its roster, the Pistons should get in on the spoils.
Most trade value
1. Andre Drummond
A 22-year-old All-Star, franchise center with plenty of growth left in his game? Yeah, you don't find those guys every day.
2. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Caldwell-Pope is nearing perimeter-stopper status and is a positive contributor on offense, though he's yet to fulfill his potential as a knock-down shooter. He's just 22 and has a year left on his rookie deal.
3. Stanley Johnson
As one of the younger players in the league, Johnson has shown flashes of being a legit starting wing somewhere down the line. With three more years of team control ahead of him, there's not a developing team in the NBA that wouldn't take him.
4. Reggie Jackson
Jackson has been very good, though nagging injuries threaten to undermine his season. Still, he's got an awfully big contract for a midlevel point guard who probably fits better in Van Gundy's system than he would on most teams.
5. Marcus Morris
Morris' skill set fits well with the Detroit starting lineup. His contribution has been mostly intangible -- he's positive on both ends in real plus-minus (RPM) but below replacement in WARP -- but his contract is extremely team friendly.
6. Brandon Jennings
In a limited role, Jennings has shown that his skills are intact after his return from an Achilles injury. But his expiring contract limits his trade value and, in any event, he's valuable on a Pistons team that needs the punch off the bench.
Most valuable draft pick
2016 first-rounder
For the right return, Detroit should be willing to dangle this pick, which has a shot at ending up in the lottery. Either way, it should land in the middle of the first round. However, it seems unlikely Van Gundy would surrender the pick for a player with an expiring contract.
Toughest contract to trade
Reggie Jackson
A good player, but at a level of remuneration that demands he be a foundation point guard. There might not be many teams that see him as that and even if there are, there is a glut of quality point guards across the league.