Trade grades: Is Jameer Nelson an upgrade for the Pistons?
The deal
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Pistons get:?Guard Jameer Nelson
Bulls get: Center Willie Reed, rights to swap second-round picks in 2022
Get more trade grades for every deadline deal here
Detroit Pistons: C
Adding Nelson, who's reunited with Stan Van Gundy after serving as his starting point guard during Van Gundy's time with the Orlando Magic, looks mostly like an insurance move for Detroit.
During Reggie Jackson's absence with a severely sprained ankle, which has made Ish Smith a starter, Van Gundy has struggled to settle on a backup point guard. G League veteran Dwight Buycks has gotten most of the minutes, but Van Gundy has also used Langston Galloway in that role. After the Blake Griffin trade thinned out the Pistons' wing rotation, Galloway is more important there, so there was some need for a steadier hand at the point.
Fortunately, Jackson should be back before too long. Initial estimates put him out six to eight weeks when he was sidelined just after Christmas, and he'll reach eight weeks after the All-Star break. So Nelson can serve as insurance in case of further injuries at the point rather than as a part of the rotation.
The role of third point guard is probably appropriate for Nelson as he prepares to celebrate his 36th birthday Friday. Though Nelson started much of last season for the Denver Nuggets, he's dependent on shooting a high percentage from 3 (as in 2016-17, but not this season) to score with even adequate efficiency at this point because he rarely creates for himself or others off the dribble. So Nelson is probably stretched a little as a full-time backup.
The price was right for insurance. Reed, who had played just nine minutes over three games since being acquired with Griffin, didn't appear to be in Detroit's plans. The Pistons have effectively made Griffin their backup center since the trade, using him and Anthony Tolliver together when Andre Drummond is on the bench.
Meanwhile, Chicago will have to improve past Detroit by 2022 for the pick swap to have any value.
Chicago Bulls: C
The Bulls acquired Nelson from the New Orleans Pelicans in the Nikola Mirotic trade strictly as salary ballast, and he almost certainly would have been waived had Chicago not found a taker before the deadline.
That appears to be Reed's fate, with David Aldridge of Turner Sports reporting the Bulls won't keep him. If Reed signs elsewhere as a free agent, he's facing a potential six-game suspension stemming from a domestic violence incident last August. Reed, who was charged with misdemeanor battery, entered into a pretrial diversion program. The NBA Players Association filed a grievance over the suspension, arguing it "is excessive and inappropriate." That grievance has yet to be resolved.
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