The Detroit Pistons reportedly explored a trade for New York Knicks guard Pablo Prigioni earlier in the season, and following Brandon Jennings's season-ending Achilles injury on Saturday, could reopen discussions with Knicks president Phil Jackson.
Jennings planted awkwardly on his left leg while guarding an inbounds pass on Saturday against Milwaukee. He crumpled to the floor in pain and didn't return to the game. On Sunday, the Pistons announced Jennings ruptured his left Achilles tendon and would undergo season-ending surgery. No date for the surgery was announced, but a tweet from Jennings seemed to indicate he would be sidelined for the next six to nine months.
With Jennings gone, ESPN's Marc Stein reported at least one as saying Detroit will likely re-explore a possible trade for Prigioni.
"Hearing Pistons among teams to show exploratory interest in Knicks' Pablo Prigioni and could revisit that in wake of losing Brandon Jennings," Stein tweeted Sunday.
Prigioni, who's averaging 4.8 points and 2.5 assists in just over 18.0 minutes per game, can likely be had for a cheap price. Amidst a losing season, Jackson's goal now appears to be to dump as much salary as he can before the trade deadline in order to maximize his financial flexibility for free agency this summer.
New York already has close to $30 million in cap space available after the season, and trading Prigioni's contract - $1.6 million this season and $1.7 million the next - would create a little more space to use in bringing in a player who better fits Jackson's long-term plans.
Jackson is also reportedly likely to trade veteran guard Jose Calderon before the Feb. 19 deadline.
As for Detroit, the team has improved to 17-27 and is just 1 1/2 games out from the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, giving team coach and president Stan Van Gundy every reason to try to acquire a serviceable replacement for Jennings.
