Stan Van Gundy and the Detroit Pistons find themselves in a tough predicament. After racing out to one of the hottest starts in the league, the Pistons have come back down to earth. Fortunately for the Pistons, “coming down to earth” consists of them competing for a potential home playoff series. They currently are tied for sixth in the East with a 21-18 record. However, unfortunately for the Pistons, things got more complicated when their starting point guard Reggie Jackson went out for an extended period of time. Without their starting point guard to run the offense, the Pistons have lost four of their last six games, so naturally, it appears Stan Van Gundy will partake in his favorite hobby. Trading.
Stan Van Gundy is no stranger to trade rumors, as they come up every month without fail. And typically these rumors are worth looking into, considering Van Gundy has made 11 trades since coming to the Pistons in 2014. So while the Pistons look to bolster their roster for a playoff push a couple of big games have come up.
The first rumor to start swirling yesterday was the Pistons interest in trading for Orlando Magic’s shooting guard Evan Fournier.
Report: Pistons pursued trade for Magic's Evan Fournier. https://t.co/WGRfRX6vCu pic.twitter.com/71QYH0QcHZ
— theScore (@theScore) January 8, 2018
The Orlando Magic is a team that Stan Van Gundy knows very well having coached there and making trades with them in the past. Most notably the trade that brought Tobias Harris to the Pistons. As for Fournier, he would give the Pistons a sharp-shooting two guard who is currently connecting on 40% of his threes. Fournier is also averaging nearly 18 points per game. While the Pistons would likely have to give up some substantial assets to acquire Fournier and his shooting ability, it appears that trade fell through when Reggie Jackson went down with an injury.
NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported that,
“Detroit pursued a deal for Fournier, but that would’ve been hard to execute without Reggie Jackson‘s contract included — even if Detroit decided to include promising rookie Luke Kennard. Jackson will be sidelined for another month-plus with a severely sprained ankle.
Detroit has remained one of the most aggressive teams on the early market, reflective of the Stan Van Gundy regime’s desire to win now.”
Reggie Jackson is no stranger to trade rumors. His name is tossed around in just about every potential Pistons’ trade, but it is yet to be seen if trade talks with the Magic will pick back up as Reggie gets closer to a return.
As Woj mentioned, the Pistons are one of the most aggressive teams, which makes sense considering the Pistons are also rumored to be in on the Nikola Mirotic sweepstakes.
The Pistons have joined Utah in expressing trade interest for Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic, according to league sources
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 9, 2018
The Bulls are reportedly looking for a steep price in return for a Mirotic deal.
Agree with @KCJHoop. Word is the the Bulls are determined to get a first-round pick in a Mirotic deal https://t.co/0uJYBZmbVz
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 9, 2018
Currently shooting 46.5% from three, Mirotic would provide the Pistons with a three-point specialist at the power forward position. Mirotic has lit it up since coming back from injury, averaging over 17 points and seven rebounds per game.
Mirotic and Fournier are both high-profile starters who would fit Stan Van Gundy’s mold by surrounding Andre Drummond with consistent three-point shooters. However, the asking price for both of those young guys will be relatively high and may not be worth it for a Pistons team that is in the gray area between rebuild and contenders.
Stan Van Gundy may look to shop his first-round draft pick aggressively, if he thinks he can get a piece that helps him win now. Interestingly enough, the rumors have not connected the Pistons to a point guard, which in the absence of Reggie Jackson, seems unusual.
As the February 8th trade deadline approaches be prepared for a lot more trade rumors as Stan Van Gundy tries to piece together the puzzle of a contender.
