NBA Trade Rumors: Reggie Jackson To Magic, Jeff Green, D.J. Augustin To Pistons


For those in the basketball world, the ongoing NBA trade rumors will reach their peak point this week, as the deadline arrives on Thursday. By then, the major stars who have been rumored to be heading to new teams will either put on new jerseys or go back to business as usual with their current teams. Carmelo, DeMarcus, and Jimmy are the names most fans have heard mentioned for weeks. Another star who has been less mentioned in the speculation, but is popping up recently is Detroit Pistons guard Reggie Jackson. Could he be headed to the Orlando Magic in a major trade within the next several days?

Jackson, a talented guard averaging 15.2 points, 5.6 assists, and 2.3 rebounds, missed the first 21 games of this season due to knee issues. He’s currently in the second year of a five-year deal worth a whopping $80 million. While Jackson is a great player, he comes with that high cost and Detroit may want to go in a new direction. According to ESPN, several teams have expressed interest in acquiring Jackson during the ongoing NBA trade rumors season. They include the New Orleans Pelicans, Minnesota Timberwolves, and now, the Orlando Magic.

Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson have been a big part of the Pistons’ success, but could one of them be on the way out soon? [Image by Jason Miller/Getty Images]

Earlier this week, ESPN’s Zach Lowe mentioned why the Pistons have been exploring possible moves involving two of their biggest stars, center Andre Drummond and guard Reggie Jackson.

“They needed talent; they would figure out the rest later. The figuring it out part has been harder than expected, especially with both Jackson and Drummond plateauing. Detroit has quietly explored the trade market for each of its franchise centerpieces, according to sources across the league, and come away disappointed with the potential return.”

It may surprise fans that Detroit would possibly want to trade one of the top big men in the game away, as well as a talented guard like Reggie Jackson. While Drummond was a former top draft pick for the Pistons, Jackson was acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Both have helped contribute to the team achieving a playoff run, although it was shortlived due to having to play Cleveland in the first round. Basically, this team is still lacking what many other teams are, and that is enough star power on their roster to contend with Cleveland and Golden State.

So could that mean a surprising trade involving Reggie Jackson is coming this week? According to Sportsrageous, the rumored trade that could happen would involve a two-for-one type deal with Detroit shipping Jackson over to the Magic in exchange for Jeff Green and D.J. Augustin. The main reason for the deal would be to bring some veteran experience while also giving Detroit a whole lot of salary cap relief for bigger moves.

Green, a small forward with eight years of experience in the league, is currently averaging 9.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. He was originally drafted at No. 5 overall back in 2007 by the Boston Celtics but wound up going to the Seattle Supersonics, who of course, became the Oklahoma City Thunder. He’s moved back to Boston, then Memphis, Los Angeles, and most recently to Orlando as part his NBA journey so far.

D.J. Augustin of the Orlando Magic is averaging over eight points and three assists a game. [Image by Manuela Davies/Getty Images]

Augustin is putting up respectable numbers as well. The NBA veteran, also with eight years of experience, is now averaging 8.4 points and about three assists per contest. Augustin has bounced around between multiple organizations over the course of his career including Charlotte, Indiana, Chicago, Toronto, and formerly, Detroit.

So will this trade actually happen? It’s not likely due to the fact it would set back the Pistons. While Detroit probably isn’t going to make major noise in the postseason with their team this year, Lowe contends that they’ll probably stick with the roster they currently have at least through season’s end.

“The Pistons will likely hold off on any major moves until the draft. They aren’t in severe distress; they’re a.500-ish team in the playoff hunt, with a young roster that can still grow. They regard the playoffs as a must; they won’t make any move that amounts to a huge in-season downgrade.”

The upcoming NBA Draft is one that’s considered to be among the deepest in terms of talent in the past several years. A majority of the top 10 prospects are guards and small forwards, which could be positions that Detroit looks to trade for. As of this report, an NBA mock draft at Draft Express speculates that if Detroit keeps their own pick, they would take power forward John Collins from Wake Forest at the No. 16 spot.

While Jackson and Drummond should be at the core of this team for the future, the right deal could always come along. Nonetheless, it probably makes the most sense to simply wait and see if a lottery team with a higher draft pick might make a deal.

Should Detroit trade Reggie Jackson or Andre Drummond to try to rebuild, or keep these players on board for the future of the Pistons’ success?

[Featured Image by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images]

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