The Detroit Pistons are working on a trade that will send point guard Reggie Jackson to the New Orleans Pelicans for point guard E’Twaun Moore and big man Alexis Ajinca. According to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders, the Pelicans may throw Quincy Pondexter’s name in the trade. If the deal pushes through, the Pistons will free up additional cap space from Jackson’s contract, which has three years and $51 million remaining.
The 27-year-old Jackson averaged 14.5 points, 5.2 assists, and 2.2 rebounds in 27.4 minutes-per-game for Detroit last season.
Jackson was limited to just 52 games by a knee injury, his lowest since his rookie year with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Scotto said the Pelicans are convinced that Jackson and Jrue Holiday can form a deadly combination in their backcourt to complement big men Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins. The Pelicans recently signed Holiday to a five-year, $126 million contract. The Pelicans and the Pistons are both eyeing to end their playoff drought. New Orleans has missed the playoffs in five of the past six seasons while the Pistons have missed the postseason in seven of their past eight years.
Pistons now undergoing roster makeover
In their effort to revamp their roster, the Pistons added Langston Galloway, Anthony Tolliver and Eric Moreland from the free-agent market.
Detroit also traded power forward Marcus Morris to the Boston Celtics for Avery Bradley. To fill the void left by shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the Pistons drafted Luke Kennard 12th overall in the 2017 NBA Draft. The Pistons recently renounced their rights to Caldwell-Pope, making him an unrestricted free agent. Detroit also lost Aron Baynes, who signed a one-year deal with the Boston Celtics.
Aside from Jackson, Scotto recently reported that the Pistons are also gauging the market’s interest for center Andre Drummond, who signed a five-year, $127 million deal. During the 2015-16 season, the 6-foot-11 Drummond averaged career-high 16.2 points and 14.8 boards but his numbers dropped last season, tallying just 13.6 points and 13.8 caroms in 81 games.
Drummond’s bad free throw shooting was also a liability for the Pistons down the stretch.
Ajinca can replace Drummond
If the Pistons trade Drummond, the 7-foot-2 Ajinca can take his spot in the starting lineup. Last season, he suited up for 39 games, averaging 5.3 points and 4.5 rebounds in 15 minutes of play. The 28-year-old Moore became a key player off the bench for the Pelicans, averaging a career-high 9.6 points and 24.9 minutes per game.
