The Detroit Pistons have been mentioned in trade rumors with Josh Smith this offseason and while no deal is close, the team has been in talks with the Sacramento Kings and he could be a target along with Brandon Jennings after the team lost Isaiah Thomas, while Andre Drummond is off the table for Stan Van Gundy, as he is the player the Pistons want to build around for the future.
According to ESPN.com, the Pistons and the Kings were talking about a deal for Smith a couple weeks ago and the package likely would have included Derrick Williams and Jason Thompson from Sacramento. The Kings have a glut of players at that position, as Williams, Thompson and Carl Landry have all been mentioned as potential pieces that could move.
The Pistons have been looking at a Smith trade for some time and this comes after he signed last season on a decent contract under Joe Dumars. Van Gundy reportedly has told Smith that he "likely" will remain in Detroit, but there is always a chance a deal could go down as the summer progresses and also into the season. Pro Basketball Talk reported that Smith was likely the player to go after Van Gundy first took over, as the team wants to keep Greg Monroe as a restricted free agent and they have already made a commitment to Andre Drummond on an extension.
The Pistons have made some smart moves in free agency so far, including adding Jodie Meeks and Caron Butler and that should help the team with depth off the bench. Last season the Pistons did not have enough there and now Meeks can also be a solid option from long range. Meeks set career highs last season in points with the Lakers and he also shot over 40 percent from three point range. Last season the Pistons were ranked 29th in three point field goal percentage and he could help with that a great deal.
Last season the Pistons were one of the best rebounding teams in the league, ranking third in board per game, but the defense was not up to park, ranking near the bottom of the league in points allowed per game. The team just 29 games last season and ended up in the bottom part of the east and now Stan the man comes in with power and decision making as the president of basketball operations and head coach. The team should be better on defense this season and while they lost some players, Van Gundy has been active in free agency, looking for "singles and doubles" and not "home runs" on the market.
The Pistons ranked 14th in points per game last season and 24th in assists per game and that is one area they need to improve on along with their 27th ranked defense by points per game. The team has a number of positive things happening heading into the season, but Van Gundy needs to get the winning feeling back to the franchise after a few years of being out of the mix.
