NBA Trade Rumors: Detroit Pistons Must Trade Rodney Stuckey

Feb 10, 2014; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons shooting guard Rodney Stuckey (3) drives to the basket against San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Danny Green (4) during the second quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Rodney Stuckey has certainly had a resurgence this year.  His 14 points per game off the bench is almost enough to make you forget the malcontent player sitting on the bench over the previous two seasons.

Well almost.

Stuckey has impressed many fans and media a like with his energetic and productive play off the bench this season but lets not forget when Stuckey was drafted prior to the 2007-2008 season he wasn’t supposed to be a sixth man.  He was drafted to be the Pistons starting point guard. The teams floor general.  And in that role (save parts of a couple of seasons) he has failed.

So why are the same fans who wanted to run Rodney Stuckey out-of-town at the end of last season waxing poetic about him this season?

Stuckey has made the best of his time off of the bench this season to be sure and in the process has created some pretty spectacular highlights for the evening sports reports.  Judging by the tape Stuckey has put doen this season, one could assume he is an invaluable part of the offense. But at the end of the day, Rodney Stuckey is just a bright spot on the very dark cloud surrounding the Pistons season.

So why trade Rodney Stuckey?

Stuckey is shooting 30 points higher (.451 shooting percentage in 2014) than his career average of .424. He also possesses an expiring contract.  The combination of the two could make Stuckey a very attractive trade target for an NBA team looking to bolster their bench for a playoff run. The Pistons might be able to score a draft pick, young developing talent or a veteran player that could help them next season.

Trading Rodney Stuckey was always part of the plan.  If the Pistons wanted the cap space they could have released him before the free agency period in 2013 and taking more advantage of the richest free agent market in decades.

The Pistons need to stick with that plan and trade Stuckey this season for draft picks or young talent.  That will give the incoming general manger and coach the tools they need to finally rebuild this franchise.