The Detroit Pistons went through a mini-roster remodel over the summer, with the addition of guard Avery Bradley via a trade with the Boston Celtics as perhaps the marquee addition. With the Pistons slumping now — they’ve lost eight straight and are 12-23 since their 10-3 start — Bradley’s name is entering trade talks.
According to ESPN.com’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Pistons are making Bradley available in trades. Bradley’s stats this season (15.0 points per game, 40.9 percent shooting, 2.4 rebounds per game, 2.1 assists per game) are down after a career-best season in 2016-17 with the Celtics. Bradley will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and while the Pistons had hoped to keep him long term, that thinking may have changed, Wojnarowski reports:
The Detroit Pistons have made starting shooting guard Avery Bradley available in trade talks, league sources told ESPN.
So far, Detroit’s asking price for Bradley, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, is significant, league sources said.
The Pistons have been one of the most aggressive teams in pursuit of improving themselves prior to the February 8 trade deadline.
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The Pistons acquired Bradley in a July trade with the Boston Celtics with hopes of ultimately signing him to a long-term deal this summer. Now, the Pistons are searching for a return on Bradley prior to the possibility of losing him without compensation in free agency, league sources said.
Detroit renounced the rights to restricted free agent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope upon acquiring Bradley in July, banking on a long-term partnership with Bradley.
As Wojnarowski notes, Bradley has been plagued all season by a groin injury that caused him to miss seven straight games in late December. When fully healthy, Bradley is one of the best two-way guards in the NBA and was a member of the All-Defensive team in 2012-13 and 2015-16.
Since Dec. 1, the Pistons are 3-17 in games in which Avery Bradley has played: https://t.co/qcFwNzUJXT
— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) January 29, 2018
