Over the past few hours, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Detroit Pistons have discussed swapping starting point guards. Both teams have had disappointing starts to what many hyped up for them in the preseason. Which led to a discussion of trading guards Ricky Rubio and Reggie Jackson.
This trade would send Rubio, who’s averaging 7.7 points, 7.9 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game in 2016-17, to the Pistons. While Jackson, 16.7 points, 5.3 assists and 2.3 rebounds on the year, to Minnesota.
Jackson is in the second year of his five-year, $80 million deal that he signed after the trade that sent him to Detroit from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Rubio and Jackson have both missed games with injuries this season and both teams will fill a much needed role in this deal if we base it off the numbers and what the two players are best known for.
Rubio would give the Pistons a more pass-oriented playmaker that brings more to the defensive side of the game. He will however make the team weaker in the shooting department unless he can develop his disappointing shooting abilities before the trade. The Pistons would also be saving six million in salary until they decide to offer Rubio a big contract this summer.
Jackson will provide a better shooter who is more aggressive at attacking the basket off pick-and-rolls and solo plays. His defense will be a bigger liability than Rubio’s was and not only would they be adding more money to their overall team salary, they would also limit the minutes for rookie Kris Dunn.
The rumor is that Detroit is trying to pull swingman Shabazz Muhammad away as part of the deal. Adding Muhammad will give the Pistons more depth off the bench and options for a more versatile starting lineup. Minnesota would not need to take on another player if they gave up both Muhammad and Rubio, but they might receive forward Marcus Morris as a toss in for their trouble.
This is an interesting move for both franchises, as it does not solve any immediate problems and the fuel is not by monetary reasons. It is just a move that shows each team values their players differently and are taking a risk that a move will be a boost.
