The Detroit Pistons are off to a slow start to the 2022-23 NBA season. In fact, things are going about as poorly as reasonably possible. Cade Cunningham will be sidelined for an extended period of time, and they are 5-15 on the season.
The natural thought that arises from early-season struggles is for the team to potentially trade expendable talents for assets to maximize a down year for draft positioning. With Victor Wembenyama and Scoot Henderson as headliners for this year’s class, it makes all the more sense to do so.
Bojan Bogdanovic, who will be 34 in April and is on an expiring contract, would be the first option when using traditional logic. He may not be the only one. According to Yahoo! Sports’ Jake Fischer, the Pistons have taken “early calls” on Bey from inquiring teams, but they are still in evaluation mode about entertaining trades.
“Detroit has taken early calls on Bey from inquiring teams, sources said, a change in behavior from recent trade windows,” Fischer wrote. “But it seems the Pistons are intent on further evaluating Bey before truly entertaining his trade market.”
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Saddiq Bey & Detroit Pistons Updates
Bey is far from the first name to consider when evaluating logical trade chips on the Pistons. He’s shown to be capable of some explosive scoring outings, and at 6-foot-7, he brings a helpful skill set on the wing.
Why would the Pistons trade Bey? While his averages are down after seeing a reduction in playing time of 2.0 minutes per game, he is averaging 14.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists this season. However, he’s doing so while shooting 40.8 percent from the floor and 29.0 percent from 3-point range.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Saddiq Bey & Detroit Pistons Updates
Bey’s 3-point shooting percentages have declined since shooting 38.0 percent as a rookie. He’s shooting 35.5 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s and 17.2 percent on pull-ups from deep. If the Pistons feel that perhaps his ceiling is a bit limited offensively and that capitalizing on his trade value is best, there’s reason to consider it.
If the Pistons do indeed want to trade Bey, there is no shortage of teams around the NBA that would benefit from trading for him. The best landing spot seems to be a team with great floor spacing and dynamic playmakers that can maximize his off-ball abilities, but still has room for him to operate off the dribble.
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