The Detroit Pistons appear to have their answer at shooting guard for the upcoming 2017-18 season. According to reports, they have agreed to a trade with the Boston Celtics, sending Marcus Morris in exchange for Avery Bradley.
The Boston Celtics are finalizing a trade to send Avery Bradley to Detroit, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 7, 2017
The Pistons are sending Marcus Morris to Boston in the deal, league source tells ESPN. Lakers, Clippers were prominent in talks until end. https://t.co/hd01uMoEO7
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 7, 2017
Detroit is also netting a second-round pick for 2019 in the deal.
Bradley, 26, is a former first-round pick (No. 19 overall) of the Celtics from the 2010 NBA Draft, after spending just one season at the University of Texas at Austin. His scoring production has gradually improved over the course of his first seven NBA seasons, averaging 12.1 points and shooting better than 36 percent from three-point range.
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This past season for the Celtics, he averaged a career-best 16 points per game and knocked down 39 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc, playing in 55 games. Bradley has also been regarded as one of the better two-way guards in the league, being a two-time member of the All-NBA Defensive Team in his career (and arguably was snubbed of that honor this season).
The deal for Boston allows them to free up cap space and sign free agent Gordon Hayward to a lengthy and expensive contract. Bradley is in the final year of his current contract and is set to make a little more than $8.8M this upcoming season.
For Detroit, this provides a bit more clarity on what the team may do with restricted free agent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The Pistons can match an offer made to their former 2013 first-round selection, but not much as surfaced since the free agency period began last week.
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Of course, it remains to be seen what head coach and team president Stan Van Gundy has in the works. It’s been rumored at times that point guard Reggie Jackson and big man Andre Drummond could be on the trading block as well.
Morris, 27, spent each of the last two seasons in Piston blue after being acquired from the Phoenix Suns around this time two years ago, along with Reggie Bullock and Danny Granger. Morris in 159 games with Detroit netted career-high marks in scoring, averaging 14.1 points per contest over the past two seasons, a product of increased playing time.
Morris is under contract over the next two seasons, making $5M this upcoming season and $5.375 the year after. This will be Marcus’ fourth NBA team as he enters his seventh season in the league
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