The Detroit Pistons have been mentioned in trade rumors all offseason regarding Josh Smith and Stan Van Gundy may consider a deal at some point this season with Brandon Jennings or Will Bynum to the Kings, as they have been interested in a Smith deal and names like Derrick Williams, Jason Thompson or Jason Terry could be moving as the Pistons try to build around Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe if they can re-sign him.
According to ESPN.com, Smith was the main target for the Kings this offseason as they tried to pull off a trade and while it hasn't come to fruition yet, Marc Stein writes that the two teams could pick back up on the talks down the line. The Pistons signed Smith last season but that was before Stan Van Gundy took over and he is hoping to build things around Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe and trading Smith could be what the team needs to do to sign Monroe back, as he is a restricted free agent.
The Pistons made a number of signings over the summer with Jodie Meeks and Caron Butler coming in and that could mean the team trades either Will Bynum or Brandon Jennings at some point. ESPN.com writes that the two teams were discussing a deal that likely would have included Williams, Jason Thompson or Jason Terry and that could be explored by SVG at some point this season if the Pistons don't get off to a good start.
Jodie Meeks had a very good season with the Lakers last year and he now has the chance to be a main rotation player here after averaging 15.7 points to set a career high last season. Meeks also is a strong three point shooter and that is big for the Pistons, as they were one of the worst teams in the league from long range last season. Caron Butler gives the team some versatility off the bench and he is also a solid defender. Van Gundy spoke about smaller deals this offseason and he went that way and now the Kings could be looking at getting Smith again at some point this season.
The Pistons were one of the best rebounding teams in the league last season, ranking third in the NBA, but the team had issues on defense and that is one area that Van Gundy is looking to improve on. The Pistons ranked 14th in scoring last season with 101 points per game and they were just 24th in assists and while that wasn't all on Jennings, Van Gundy wants to get that better as well. The team was just 27th in points allowed per game and that definitely needs to improve this year.
The team had Smith leading the way in scoring, but that was lower than his usual average at 16 points per game and with Monroe developing, the team may have to move Smith. The team got 13 rebounds per game from Andre Drummond and he looks like a franchise building block, while Monroe showed some nice development last season as well. Monroe is an RFA and the Pistons have said that they plan on matching all deals for him and so far no one has given one, although the Suns and Hawks were rumored to be interested in a sign and trade.
