He gave his answer before the question was finished. Because as soon as the names Jerami Grant and Mason Plumlee were mentioned in the same sentence as the trade deadline, Pistons GM Troy Weaver began shaking his head.
"Nobody's untouchable, but there's some guys that are here to stay," Weaver said Tuesday during a midseason press conference.
That's not to say the Pistons won't look to deal a veteran or two before the March 25 deadline. It's not to say they won't be aggressive, like they were in acquiring two extra first-round picks in last year's draft. It's just that they view Grant and Plumlee -- Grant, especially -- as long-term pieces. Not as trade assets.
So if the Celtics really intend to pursue a trade for Grant, they better be willing to pay up.
"I’ll say this guy’s untouchable, and then somebody calls me and offers me four first-round picks. OK, he’s not untouchable," Weaver said.
It's no surprise the Pistons are committed to Grant. They signed him to a three-year, $60 million deal in the offseason and he's become one of the best bargains in the NBA. Plumlee has also exceeded outside expectations after signing a three-year, $25 million deal that was panned by experts across the league.
The veteran center is averaging career-highs in points (10.4), rebounds (9.1) and assists (3.8) while providing valuable leadership on a young team. Weaver said he signed Plumlee at Dwane Casey's behest -- and it doesn't sound like he intends to trade him a few months later.
"Coach Casey, this was his No. 1 guy that he wanted for our ballcub because of the different abilities that he brings, the experience, the locker room presence. And Coach was dead-on," Weaver said. "This guy has been tremendous for us. He’s really helped the young guys, he’s really stepped his game up. I’m sure a lot of people questioned it early on, but Coach really was beating the drum for Mason and we had a lot of good talks about him before we signed him.
"I’m happy for Mason's success and for Coach’s vision for him. More times than not, players succeed or fail based on a vision for them. Coach has a vision for him and it’s working out. We're happy to see it and hopefully it continues. As far as the trade deadline, I'm not sure what’s going to come our way with Mason but we’re extremely happy with him right now."
The trades the Pistons will pursue at the deadline will be more like the one that sent Derrick Rose to the Knicks for a second-round pick and a former first-rounder in Dennis Smith Jr. Rose was on an expiring contract and interested in playing for a contender.
"We wanted to accommodate him and get him somewhere he could play more meaningful basketball and us be able to acquire some assets. We liked what we got in the trade and that’s just where we are right now," Weaver said. "So we’ll continue to look at those type of trades, absolutely."
That would point to a player like 33-year-old Wayne Ellington, who's on a cheap one-year deal and shooting a career-high 43.3 percent from three. Delon Wright has drawn some interest as well, but he's five years younger than Ellington and signed through next season.
The Pistons will be aggressive between now and the deadline, Weaver said. But a haul like they got at the draft is probably too much to expect -- they've sold most of the pieces they wanted to sell.
"We’re definitely going to be aggressive," he said. "I think where we are, we have to be. I wouldn’t expect a bunch of fireworks, but we’re going to be aggressive in combing the league and looking at things and seeing if we can get better. But I don’t anticipate as much activity as we had in November. That would be kind of hard to top."