About a year into the Blake Griffin era, one thing's pretty clear for the Pistons. It's not working. Not because of anything Griffin's done -- far from it, in fact -- but because building around two frontcourt players in Griffin and Andre Drummond isn't feasible in today's NBA.
In Griffin, an evolving star in the midst of a terrific season, the Pistons have a centerpiece. Around Griffin, they have what can best be described as a morass. The supporting cast needs fixing, which is another way of saying it needs to be replaced.
Drummond -- along with point guard Reggie Jackson -- is the most obvious place to start. And it appears the Pistons might already be looking into that possibility.
According to Brandon Robinson, whose word we take lightly, the team has recently explored trade scenarios for Drummond. One team that's interested? The Charlotte Hornets.
In response, the Pistons have reportedly inquired about Malik Monk and Nicolas Batum.
Detroit Pistons have explored trade scenarios for Andre Drummond recently, I'm told.One team interested in Drummond are the Charlotte Hornets.Pistons have inquired about Charlotte's Malik Monk & Nicolas Batum. pic.twitter.com/g8wNytyoyy
— Brandon Robinson (@ScoopB) January 23, 2019Any trade scenario involving Drummond begins with his contract. He's signed through 2021 at a cost of about $27 million per year. His cap hit in the 2020-21 season climbs to almost $29 million.
Naturally, Batum has a similar deal. Almost identical, in fact. The 30-year-old forward is signed through 2021 at a cost of about $25.5 million per year. His cap hit in the 2020-21 season climbs to about $27 million.
From a financial perspective, a swap of Drummond and Batum is a wash. But it'd be a clear upgrade on the floor for the center-needy Hornets (no matter how you might feel about Drummond), adding a younger player who's averaging a career-high 16.3 points per game and leading the league in rebounding for the second straight season. That's where Monk -- theoretically -- comes in.
Charlotte's first-round pick in 2011 -- one pick before the Pistons took Luke Kennard at No. 12 -- Monk is the kind of cost-controlled, high-upside player the Pistons currently lack. He's averaging 10.2 points in 18.5 minutes per game -- a19.9 point average over 36 minutes. He'd add much-needed length and athleticism to Detroit's backcourt.
Monk, who turns 21 next month, is signed through 2020 with club options through 2022. His cap hit hovers between $3.4 and 5.3 million over the next three years, before jumping to $13.4 million in the 2021-22 season.
Whether the Pistons and Hornets, who happen to be battling each other for one of the final playoff spots in the East, have discussed this exact deal -- Drummond for Batum and Monk -- isn't clear. (It works via ESPN's Trade Machine, for what it's worth.)
But it's a situation worth monitoring in advance of the Feb. 7 trade deadline.
