Brandon Jennings' name has come up in recent NBA trade rumors. The Detroit Pistons guard is said to be a possible target for the New York Knicks, who are overstocked in their frontcourt and lack a powerful point guard up top.
According to a report from the New York Post (via M Live), the Knicks are still in wait-and-see mode as Jennings returns from his Achilles tear injury. A Christmastime return to playing is still waiting for the Pistons' backup who had an average of 15.6 points per game last season, making him an attractive player on the market if he can come back as good as before.
The Detroit Pistons have decided to make Reggie Jackson, whom they acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder to replace Jennings, their future point guard. The Pistons signed him to a five-year, $80 million contract in the offseason. They also aim to have two other guards on the roster, Steve Blake and Spencer Dinwiddie.
Jennings is also one of the five early trade targets by Basketball Insiders, together with Markieff Morris (Phoenix Suns), Lance Stephenson (Los Angeles Clippers), Ryan Anderson (New Orleans Pelicans), and Joakim Noah (Chicago Bulls).
Basketball Insider's Steve Kyler wrote, "If Jennings can show he still has bounce and can attack, the Pistons may find themselves with some duplication they don't have a lot of minutes for with Reggie Jackson clearly their starting point guard."
According to Sports Media 101, Jennings has an average of 15.4 points and 6.6 assists in his 41 games with the Detroit Pistons before he went down for the rest of the season, and has yet to play in a single game thus far for Detroit. However, he is expected to make his season debut sometime this month.
The Detroit Pistons currently hold the eighth place in the Eastern Conference at 14-11, so they could still acquire a player from the New York Knicks roster to help their lineup of players and potential playoff hopes.