Should Pistons Be Buyers or Sellers at Trade Deadline?

WXYT-FM / 97.1 The Ticket

Costa and Jansen discuss whether the Pistons should be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline.

Transcript

00:00John, Pistons have a decision to make a week from tomorrow.

00:04Are they buyers?

00:05Are they sellers?

00:06Do they stand pat?

00:08Pistons have surprised people this year, fighting up to a sixth seed at one point.

00:11They're in the thick of the playoffs in terms of like seeding.

00:16What do you think they're going to do here?

00:19I think this is a great opportunity for, I mean, honestly, they can't really go wrong.

00:22They have positioned themselves in such a great way.

00:25If they say, you know what, hey, we're going, we had a plan coming into the season.

00:29And even though we've played better and I'm making this up, I don't know that this was

00:37their plan, but hey, we want to get these guys.

00:40We're going to get Beasley on a one-year deal.

00:41We're going to get these guys that if we can play well enough to be a fringe playoff team,

00:47you know, the 10 spot of the play in tournament, or we're just, hey, we're going to be just

00:53outside.

00:54We can sell these guys off.

00:56We could take on other contracts.

00:58We could continue to position ourselves for next year or two years down the road.

01:03I mean, things change and they're in a position where they could actually be top six and not

01:11in the play in tournament, but actually have a playoff position.

01:16And now all of a sudden, I don't know that they go out and they don't have that all in

01:22move that all in mentality, because even though they'd be a playoff team, I don't think they're

01:26a NBA championship or even conference finals team, but they could use this opportunity

01:32to not only improve themselves this year, but improve themselves for the next couple

01:37of years.

01:38If they're able to acquire someone that's not going to break the bank, they're still

01:42going to have plenty of money to spend in the off season.

01:44Yeah.

01:45Just so we're all clear on where the Pistons are at.

01:47Currently the eighth seed right now, but this is much better than we anticipated.

01:51I thought the belief was you could flip Beasley and Hardaway and even Tobias, depending on

01:56how well he had played, this was just kind of a signed to be traded kind of deal.

02:02Malik Beasley has been super open.

02:03He had the quotes about talking to Trajan Langdon and understanding it's a business.

02:08If a contender swoops in with an offer too good, they're going to trade him, but I'd

02:12like to keep Malik Beasley.

02:14Like that's how much I think things have changed.

02:16He is one of the best three point shooters in the NBA.

02:18I think he is one of those people who helps Cade develop into a star by spacing the floor.

02:25Malik Beasley is sixth in the NBA in three pointers made per game.

02:30And of the guys who make more than him, only one makes them at a higher clip.

02:34Like he's a 40% three point shooter.

02:37He has helped Cade space the floor.

02:39It's an investment in Cade as much as it is in winning right now.

02:43I'd absolutely like to keep him, like to bolt him down.

02:45I'd like to extend him.

02:47You can't do it in season, but I'd like to have, I agree, but you can have all those

02:50conversations now and it feels like those conversations are going.

02:53It sounds like those conversations are going on because Malik Beasley was quoted as me

02:57and Trajan been talking a lot.

02:59All right.

03:00Okay.

03:01That's great.

03:02And here's what I love about it is one, it sounds like he likes it here.

03:06He has, he's found a team and whether it's teammates, it's a coaching staff that he feels

03:11comfortable with.

03:13He's obviously having success and it sounds like he would like to stay, but you've got

03:17to be completely honest with guys.

03:21It's a rare occasion that it happens in professional sports.

03:25And if Trajan Langdon is starting his time as general manager with conversations with

03:31players and with agents of, we like you here, we know what you've been able to do.

03:36We know what you bring and then follow that with, it's a business.

03:41And this is what Malik Beasley had said.

03:43He also told me referring to Trajan Langdon, it's a business.

03:47If a championship team comes with a crazy deal, the business is the business.

03:51And when you bring up the stats that you just brought up, he is going to be sought after

03:58for a team that needs a three point shooter that is reliable in a championship run.

04:06And if they're willing to come with a crazy deal, then the easy answer is you take the

04:14crazy deal because you're not a championship team this year, unless, I mean, I don't even

04:20know what type of crazy world that we're living in where we could say, I know it's sports,

04:25but in a seven game series or in a playoff run, I just don't see it as a possibility.

04:30The Pistons are most likely going to be eliminated in the first true round of the NBA playoffs,

04:34assuming they avoid the play in or get through the play in, they're likely to be eliminated

04:38in the very first round.

04:39What if we get the first postseason victory in what, a decade?

04:44Yes, that'd be awesome.

04:46Especially if they hold at the deadline, buy, sell, or hold.

04:49If they hold, yeah, I think it's in play.

04:51The buy conversation is fascinating because it's not a conversation I think people were

04:54ready for.

04:55And John, they're not going to trade for a true superstar next decade.

04:59I just don't see that.

05:01Some of this is their first round pick is still tied up and technically owed to Minnesota.

05:05You want to give that up this year because it means you're winning and two, then, then

05:09you don't have this kind of hanging over your head.

05:11So the deals they'd have to make would have to be smaller deals, but they could still

05:15buy.

05:16I've seen people say, why not CJ McCollum get a true number two ball handler for Kate?

05:20He's expensive, but it's a two year commitment.

05:23New Orleans might just want to get out from under that deal and Detroit can absorb it.

05:28And I think even with Ivy back next year, those three could form a decent backcourt

05:34where you always have one or two ball handlers on the floor at a time.

05:37There are by moves.

05:38That's kind of the camp I'm in.

05:39I'm sick of the selling.

05:40I want to see them either hold or slight by to fight for the six and more than fight for

05:46the six fight to improve, fight to provide a foundation.

05:51You're hitting Kate with a max.

05:52He's on the ascent.

05:54It's time to start putting really good basketball players around him, not jettisoning them out.

05:59If someone offers you, I don't know what's a godfather offer.

06:02If someone's offered me a late first for Beasley, I'm not exactly dying to do that.

06:06It's not a crazy deal.

06:07It's keeping them unless someone's off for me like a lottery first and no one's doing

06:11that.

06:12So I'm keeping Malik Beasley and every sport has its, you know, uniqueness.

06:16And when you're talking about the fact that you can't extend the Beasley before the season's

06:22over.

06:23So when the season is over, you're quote unquote going to be in a bidding war with everybody

06:29else that might want his services.

06:32On the flip side, you can have a lot of those conversations right now.

06:35You might not be able to ink a deal, but you can have some of those conversations.

06:38You just don't want to have an asset that at the end of the year, somebody just offers

06:43more he walks and then you're left with nothing.

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