Heading into next week's NBA trade deadline, the Detroit Pistons aren't feeling any pressure to upgrade the roster. They have easily been the best team in the Eastern Conference and should feel good about their chances of making a deep postseason run.
Reports out of Detroit suggest that a blockbuster trade is highly unlikely, but the Pistons will still be engaged in trade discussions. There are a few departures waiting to happen that can help the Pistons set themselves up for the second half of the season and beyond.
1. Jaden Ivey, SG/PG
Even though it has been over two months since Jaden Ivey made his season debut, he has yet to increase his minutes in the rotation. His role remains a limited one, playing 15 to 20 minutes off the bench. While his shot has been falling and his defense looks improved, Ivey hasn't been able to earn back the trust of head coach J.B. Bickerstaff to enter the starting lineup or close games for the Pistons.
This is seemingly impacting Ivey, who looks subdued and deflated, especially when he is on the bench. It is not easy getting integrated into a team that was at the top of the Eastern Conference after not playing for 11 months. While Pistons fans certainly understand what Ivey is going through, there is very little reason for the front office to hold onto him.
Ivey will be a restricted free agent in the summer. The Pistons have the right to match any offer sheet, giving them a big advantage in holding onto the talented combo guard. Giving a lucrative, multi-year deal to your backup guard who only plays 17 minutes per game, however, would be ill-advised, especially considering that the Pistons are about to give Jalen Duren a significant extension.
This means it's better to move Ivey now and get back assets in return rather than risk losing him for nothing in the summer.
2. Bobi Klintman, PF
The second-year player has not cracked the rotation this season, despite the team needing more frontcourt depth at times amid injury concerns. For the second season in a row since getting drafted with the 37th-overall pick, Bobi Klintman has spent most of his time in the NBA G League. His stats have been impressive for the Motor City Cruise this season, hitting 41.8% of his threes on 6.1 attempts and averaging 2.4 steals per game as of Monday afternoon.
Yet, it's hard to see the path to playing time for Klintman in the NBA. The Pistons have a serious lack of power forward depth behind Tobias Harris, and Harris missed 15 games this season. Even then, Klintman wasn't considered by Bickerstaff as an alternative.
It's not like Klintman is a teenager who has serious upside. He is about to turn 23 and has shown very little so far. Including him in a trade as a sweetener or moving on from him in favor of a veteran who could actually see the floor in the playoffs makes a ton of sense.
3. Isaac Jones, PF
It came as a surprise when the Pistons signed Isaac Jones to their final roster spot. It never made too much sense why Detroit gave a guaranteed contract to a fourth center on the roster behind Duren, Isaiah Stewart, and Paul Reed.
After Jones has played only one game this season, the move makes even less sense. The Pistons need more shooting and offensive juice, especially on the perimeter, and don't need the size and rebounding Jones brings to the interior.
The Pistons desperately need to open a roster spot so that they can sign Daniss Jenkins to a long-term, guaranteed contract. As a player on a two-way contract, Jenkins can only play 50 regular-season games and is not eligible to play in the postseason. Considering how crucial he has been in the rotation, signing Jenkins is a no-brainer.
That means that Jones will either be traded between now and Feb. 5 or released to create a roster spot.