A new report reveals that the Detroit Pistons had recently been in conversations over possible trades for star guards Dejounte Murray and Zach LaVine, however, the deals fell through for the same reason.
Despite being headed to one of the worst records in the franchise’s illustrious history, the Pistons are expected to be active in the trade market to improve their roster before the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline. The organization will have a boatload of cash this summer and they have some young players that could appeal to other teams.
Related: Detroit Pistons new favorite to land 2-time All-Star on NBA trade block
Yet, even for a roster that has only delivered six wins after their first 46 games, it seems there are several Detroit players the front office is unwilling to part with. On Monday, The Athletic NBA reporter James L. Edwards III revealed that according to sources, the Pistons view Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson, Jaden Ivey, and Jalen Duren as their blue-chip pieces moving forward and they have “no interest in trading any four of those players in the immediate future.”
The team’s unwillingness to part with any of those youngsters reportedly has hindered them from making a pair of blockbuster trades for talented players with All-Star appearances on their resume.
Detroit Pistons unwilling to part with specifc players in Dejounte Murray and Zach LaVine trades
Edwards III claims the Atlanta Hawks actually reached out to the Pistons recently about a Dejounte Murray trade but were rebuffed by Detroit. “The Hawks were interested in Thompson/Ivey and other stuff of good value. Detroit had no interest,” he wrote.
This is one of the few reports linking the Detroit Pistons to the one-time All-Star guard. However, a player they have been connected with often is Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine. However, the same issue that ended talks about Murray has also led to a stalemate over a potential trade for LaVine.
“Chicago appears to be locked in on a package involving Bojan Bogdanović and one of Detroit’s blue-chippers for LaVine and his hefty contract. Once again, the Pistons have shown no interest in parting with any of Cunningham, Ivey, Duren, or Thompson,” wrote Edwards III.
A recent report claimed the Pistons are still the current favorites to acquire the two-time All-Star and The Athletic reporter believes Detroit is still very much open to a deal, as long as the asking price drops.
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