The Detroit Pistons appear to be preparing for a full-scale rebuild, with the team at 12th place in the Eastern Conference with a 20-42 record and having recently shipped star center Andre Drummond to the Cleveland Cavaliers. With the possibility of the Pistons parading a vastly different lineup next season, a recent report suggested that the team could keep the rebuilding process going by acquiring Brooklyn Nets point guard Spencer Dinwiddie in the 2020 offseason for a trade package highlighted by former NBA MVP Derrick Rose.
As explained by Bleacher Report ‘s Grant Hughes in his list of proposed trades to help the NBA’s “most hopeless” teams, Dinwiddie has vastly improved from the time he briefly played for the Pistons in the early years of his career. Since moving to the Nets, the 26-year-old point guard has carved a reputation as a deadly outside shooter, as well as a player who could effectively draw fouls and get to the free-throw line. According to Hughes, this could make him a solid acquisition as a potential backcourt partner for shooting guard Luke Kennard.
“He and a healthy Kennard could share playmaking duties as [rookie forward Sekou] Doumbouya blossoms on the wing. The [Blake Griffin/Christian Wood] frontcourt tandem would even give Detroit the option of five-out looks—as long as Wood doesn’t get away in unrestricted free agency.”
. @SDinwiddie_25 works the baseline for two! pic.twitter.com/SAmGfT6DEp
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) March 4, 2020
Talking about a potential trade offer, Hughes suggested that Detroit could nab Dinwiddie in the offseason by sending two current players to Brooklyn — Rose, plus backup wingman Svi Mykhailiuk — and a lottery-protected first-round selection in the 2021 NBA Draft that could become a second-rounder if the Pistons make the playoffs before then. Dinwiddie was described as a player who could continue averaging at least 20 points per game and seeing a lot of playing time for the Pistons, as proven by his performance amid Kyrie Irving’s injury struggles with the Nets.
According to his Basketball-Reference player page, Dinwiddie is currently averaging 20.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 6.8 assists, but has seen his shooting go down to 41.6 percent from the field and 31 percent from three-point range. The former second-round pick out of Colorado debuted for the Pistons in 2014 but failed to average more than five points per game as a seldom-used reserve in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.
As for the Nets, Hughes wrote that the theoretical deal could allow the team to save some money and let Irving and Caris LeVert establish themselves as the team’s starting backcourt — assuming they stay healthy. If the trade pushes forward, Rose could emerge as the “clear bench leader,” with Mykhailiuk offering promise as a youthful reserve wingman.