The Detroit Pistons are on the verge of getting some reinforcements to help aid their chances of making a playoff push. Both Brandon Jennings and Jodie Meeks are working their way back from injuries and appear to be pretty close to returning, and they could certainly help out this Pistons team. Jennings has not played all year as he is recovering from a torn Achilles, but there is a sense that the Pistons might look to trade him if he can come back and prove he is the same player as before the injury, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.
Achilles injuries are particularly tough on guards because they have a tendency to take away their explosiveness, so the question of whether Jennings will be the same player is a legitimate one. The thought is that if Jennings can show something upon his return the Pistons might be able and willing to trade him for some frontcourt depth. The Pistons are reportedly not in a hurry to trade Jennings, but there is a sense that he is likely to be traded at some point.
Jennings is set to become a free agent this offseason, as he is in the final year of his deal in Detroit, so a trade would make sense for him, as he would be stuck in a backup role behind Reggie Jackson in Detroit. Jennings will want to play as much as possible this season to prove he can still be a starting point guard in the NBA and enhance his value for the next contract he might get.
Whether the Pistons will look to trade Jennings will likely depend on how he looks when he gets back on the court. If he looks like he lost his explosiveness, the Pistons will likely just hang on to him, but if he looks good the Pistons might not want to waste his talents in a limited role so they might consider trading him for help in another area of need.
The interesting thing here, though, is the fact that these Pistons actually need Jennings. Jackson has been great as the starting point guard, but the backup point guards, Steve Blake and Spencer Dinwiddie, have not been very good, which causes a problem for Detroit when Jackson is on the bench. The Pistons will have to weigh whether having Jennings as their backup point guard in a limited role is more valuable than what he might bring in a trade, but for now many people believe the likelihood is that he gets traded at some point, assuming he looks healthy.
