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Here’s a weird one: The Detroit Pistons discussed trading guard Reggie Jackson to the Orlando Magic for guard D.J. Augustin and forward Jeff Green, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein. The Pistons have been listless at worst and inconsistent at best since Jackson returned to the lineup in early December, but this is a really difficult potential deal to comprehend. 

Some thoughts:

  • ESPN reported about a month ago that the Pistons had discussed a Jackson-for-Ricky Rubio swap with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Detroit president and coach Stan Van Gundy squashed the rumor the next day, saying that the two sides probably had talked -- general manager Jeff Bower is talking to teams all the time -- but Jackson would not be traded for Rubio. In an fantastic, lengthy monologue, Van Gundy said that everybody in the league is available for the right price, and the Pistons get a lot of calls about Jackson and Andre Drummond. I imagine he might be equally annoyed with this report if no trade is imminent. ESPN reported that it’s unclear if the talks went beyond the discussion phase.
  • From Detroit’s perspective, oof. I know Augustin played well in Van Gundy’s system a couple of seasons ago -- he was involved in the original Jackson trade at the 2014 trade deadline -- but this kind of move would be selling extremely low on Jackson. ESPN’s Zach Lowe reported that the organization was still high on the Jackson-Drummond duo in training camp when the guard “sliced up defenses” and Drummond “was a wrecker blitzing pick-and-rolls,” and Drummond told Lowe that Jackson is “my best friend” and he will “always have his back.” Breaking them up would be a drastic change, and even though the Pistons haven’t proven that this group should stay intact, I can’t get behind a deal with this little upside. 
  • From the Magic’s perspective, it really only makes sense if Elfrid Payton is being traded in a separate deal. I love the idea of stealing Jackson, but he and Payton shouldn’t be asked to play together. Payton, 22, has had his moments this year, but his lack of 3-point range is a massive problem and he has been yanked in and out of the starting lineup.