With just two playoff appearances since the start of the 2015-16 NBA season, the Detroit Pistons are one of the bottom-tier teams in the league right now, but things seem to be changing for the better. General manager Troy Weaver has this team on the right track to success right now not only with guys like Jerami Grant, Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart, but rookie Cade Cunningham as well.
Drafted first overall this past offseason, Cunningham has been fantastic for the Pistons and is starting to look like the all-around offensive weapon that he looked like in college.
The rookie guard is getting more and more comfortable as the primary ball-handler for this team and with those around him also getting comfortable in this system, the Pistons actually pulled off some nice wins early on in the year.
This team is still going to wind up missing the playoffs, but they are competitive and becoming a young, fun team to watch grow. The Pistons are still a few years away from being a finished product and next offseason is going to be key for them to put pieces around Grant, Cunningham, and Bey, but the trade deadline is also going to be important for them this year.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: This Clippers-Spurs Trade Lands Thaddeus Young In L.A.
Finding ways to continue building their young core and add more future draft picks is going to be key, which is why Detroit could wind up being big “sellers” at the deadline this year. Cory Joseph, Hamidou Diallo, and Rodney McGruder are all possible players this team could look to trade, along with former top pick Josh Jackson on the wing.
In his first season with Detroit last year, Josh Jackson averaged 13.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and shot 41.9% from the floor, drawing the attention of several teams around the league. While they did not move him in the offseason, the Detroit Pistons could very much look to trade Jackson ahead of the trade deadline, especially since he is in the final year of his contract.
Turning 25-years-old this year, Jackson is still a young forward in this league that is still growing as a player but has seemed to find a role in this league as an energy guy off the bench. He is definitely more athletic than many bench players in the NBA and being able to score in a variety of ways, Josh Jackson could immediately contribute to a playoff-contending team like the Los Angeles Clippers.
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With Kawhi Leonard out indefinitely until sometime in 2022, the Clippers are going to need all the help they can get this season on the wing. Paul George and Reggie Jackson have done a good job of holding things down for Los Angeles so far this season, but with Marcus Morris Sr. dealing with knee issues and Nicolas Batum battling an illness, the Clippers are thin in terms of the contributing talent they have on the wing.
Should the LA Clippers take a chance on a guy like Josh Jackson as a “one-year rental” type of deal? Let’s take a look at what they would have to offer up to land the young wing from Detroit.
