Last week, word surfaced that the Pistons were very quietly, under the radar exploring trade offers -- not only for franchise point guard Reggie Jackson but franchise center Andre Drummond. At the time, odds of a deal involving Drummond seemed low, and they remain low. But the noise isn’t going away as Thursday’s trade deadline draws near. 

Several league sources told CBS Sports on Tuesday that the talks are best described as “exploratory.” A deal is not considered imminent. Often teams will pick up the phone for trade talks over a star player and use whatever is made available from potential suitors to try and negotiate other deals as upgrades without giving up that star player. Pistons president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy addressed the rumors Tuesday. 

Drummond is obviously a major trade prize. He’s 23 years old, averaging 14.6 points and 13.8 rebounds per game. Blue chip big men under the age of 25 are hard to come by. Drummond comes with concerns, however. He’s always had issues with focus and questions about his love of the game. His defense is the biggest issue. It hasn’t developed the way you might hope for a player with his physical gifts, and that’s a major limitation with the role big men are expected to play in today’s NBA. 

Still, Drummond is a major get and you can bet that even if the chances are slim, the Pistons will receive a lot of offers in the next 48 hours.