As of Sunday afternoon, the Detroit Pistons are 9-7 after a big win over the Houston Rockets. They are mostly performing to expectations through 16 games. However, many projected the Pistons to have an OK offense and a relatively bad defense given their personnel. Yet, through one-fifth of the season, the Pistons are scoring the least amount of points per game in the entire league. They also give up the least amount of points, too. It’s hard to pinpoint what makes the Pistons a decent defensive team because they lack a stopper, but it’s clear coach Dwane Casey has implemented some impressive schemes on that end of the court, including forfeiting a ton of mid-range shots.
Their offense has been stagnant and heavily dependent on Blake Griffin play-making and Andre Drummond put-backs. Blake is leading all Pistons in three-point shooting at 40%. As a team, Detroit shoots 32% from three, 26th in the NBA.
Insert Washing Wizards All-star shooting guard Bradley Beal. With the recent rumblings of an all-around frustrated organization in Washington (a surprise to no one) the Wizards may be looking to make some changes. The Wizards are 7-12 and a media-storm is about the encompass the team has to last night’s speculation of Dwight Howard’s lifestyle. So maybe the Wizards are looking to change things up at this point. Maybe not.
Beal is a baller, we know that. He’s a top-five shooting guard and is only 25, just like Andre. He is a silky-smooth shooter and an underrated creator. He is a career 39% three-point shooter. He would be a spectacular first-option when running with Detroit’s second-unit. He is exactly what the Pistons need.
That’s all fine and dandy. The bigger question is of course, what would the cost be? It’s likely Washington has no interest in Reggie Jackson because of the huge commitment they have made to their own point guard, John Wall. To match salaries, the Pistons can offer a pu pu platter of Jon Leuer, Langston Galloway, Luke Kennard, and a first round pick or two. Whether the Wizards would be interested in a deal like that is hard to say, but that’s about as good of a package Detroit can offer without including Drummond or Griffin. Wizards’ General Manager Ernie Grunfeld just might be crazy enough to like that trade.
If the Pistons were to acquire Beal, would their defense be sustainable? It’s unlikely Beal would directly affect their defense much, and the offensive impact would be immense. This sort of trade is much different from the idea of pursuing Jimmy Butler. The fit is much better with Beal despite Butler being the better overall player. If Detroit can acquire Beal without losing Blake or Andre, they go from a fringe-playoff team to a team that is vaulted in the mix of a top-five team in a top-heavy Eastern Conference. Unlike Butler, the Pistons should go all-in for Beal.