Pistons Notes: Trades, Tolliver, Bradley

The Pistons continue to evaluate trade opportunities and with the injuries piling up, it’s easy to understand why.

Reggie Jackson, who is expected to return after the All-Star break, remains out of the lineup with an ankle ailment. Stanley Johnson‘s hip is sidelining him, and Luke Kennard and Avery Bradley are both dealing with nagging injuries too.

Detroit began the season with 14 wins in its first 20 games, but it hasn’t enjoyed as much success lately — the team is currently clinging to the conference’s eighth seed with a record of 22-21. Still, there is no sense of urgency in making a transaction and the earlier-than-usual trade deadline isn’t causing any major changes to the team’s strategy.

“I don’t think [the volume of trade discussions] picked up any more,” coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said (via Rod Beard of the Detroit News). “[GM Jeff Bowers is] always talking to people and people are calling. I don’t think it’s changed a whole lot.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

• The Pistons used their bi-annual exception to bring Anthony Tolliver aboard this past summer and the veteran has contributed more than expected, Beard notes in the same piece. On a one-year, $3.3MM deal, Tolliver may hold decent trade value and the scribe wonders if the power forward will be dangled as a “sweetener” in a bigger deal.
• Bradley, who played through a groin injury tonight against Toronto, will see a specialist on Thursday about the ailment, Beard relays on Twitter. The shooting guard will be a free agent at the end of the season.