Former lottery pick Brandon Jennings — having just returned to action for the Detroit Pistons after undergoing Achilles surgery — may not be with his team for too much longer.
A report from Frank Isola of the NY Daily News suggests that the New York Knicks have interest in the talented but inconsistent point guard.
“The Knicks, according to a source, have interest in several point guards including Jennings, who finally returned to the lineup after rupturing his left Achilles tendon nearly 11 months ago.”
With José Calderón acting as the team’s starting point guard, New York could definitely use an upgrade at that position. While solid, Calderón doesn’t necessarily bring much more than average attributes to the team.
The veteran is averaging 7.2 points and 3.9 assists per game while shooting 40 percent from three-point range.
There are a couple issues we can foresee when it comes to New York acquiring someone of Jennings’ ilk.
First off, he’s less than a year removed from rupturing his Achilles. That would represent a tremendous risk for a team that’s in contention for a playoff spot.
Secondly, the salary cap-strapped Knicks would have to send near equal salaries to Detroit in order to make a deal work. Jennings is earning $8.3 million in 2015-16 — the final year of his deal.
Calderón is earning $7.4 million per season with one year remaining on his deal. While the salaries match, Detroit’s unlikely to take him on as a backup at that cost with Reggie Jackson performing at a high level as a starter.
Outside of that, a combination of lesser players, potentially including Derrick Williams, could make some sense here.
Still only 26 years old, Jennings should have some decent value on the trade market. His best season came back in 2011-12 with the Milwaukee Bucks when he averaged 19.1 points and 5.5 assists per game.
Check out Vincent’s other work on eDraft.com and follow him on Twitter. His work can also be seen on MSN, Fox Sports and Forbes.