It’s been a season full of ups and downs for the Detroit Pistons, but their current eight-game slide has made the front office start to consider the future. That future may or may not include shooting guard Avery Bradley, who is scheduled to be a free agent at the conclusion of this season.
According to a report from ESPN, the Pistons asking price in return for Bradley has been “significant”.
For the season, Bradley has played in 40 of Detroit’s 48 games. He currently averages 15 points, 2.1 assists, and 2.4 rebounds per game. Also known as a rugged defender, Bradley has averaged 1.2 steals per game, while also averaging only two fouls per game.
He fell victim to a groin injury earlier this season, causing him to miss seven straight games from December 15-30, and also sat out during Sunday’s 121-104 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers with a hamstring injury.
Bradley was acquired by Detroit last offseason when the team traded Marcus Morris to the Boston Celtics. Accompanying Bradley in the trade was a second-round draft pick in 2019.
In the report, ESPN estimates that Bradley could command a contract on the open market that pays him $20 million per season, although his play this year might not exactly warrant such a deal. While he certainly does play a specific brand of basketball that makes any team he is a part of better, it’s hard to imagine such a large amount of money being paid for a player who is shooting approximately 40% from the field, 38% from three-point land, and just 76.3% from the charity stripe.
Bradley is currently playing out the final season of a four-year contract that he signed with the Celtics, in which he has been paid an average salary of $8 million per season.
Earlier this season, it was reported that the Pistons were interested in Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic, but it remains to be seen if the team will pull the trigger on such a trade.
