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The Detroit Pistons have already made a move to acquire Ersan Ilyasova from the Milwaukee Bucks, and there are quite a few moves on the horizon for them as well. Stan Van Gundy is looking to build a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference, and he is showing interest in making another trade. Reports have come out that the Pistons would like to acquire Tim Hardaway Jr. from the New York Knicks.
The Pistons are interested in trading for Knicks guard Tim Hardaway Jr, may try and trade Brandon Jennings. (ESPN)
— NBA Legion (@MySportsLegion) June 22, 2015
Hardaway has shown the ability to be a deadly scorer throughout the first two seasons of his NBA career, and he still has a lot of room to grow. Acquiring him from the Knicks would be a perfect fit for both Hardaway as well as the Pistons.
During the 2014-15 season with New York, Hardaway ended up shooting a disappointing 38.9 percent from the field overall and 34.2 percent from behind the three-point arc. He averaged 11.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Those numbers were definitely not what many were expecting to see from Hardaway in his second NBA season, but there weren’t many players in New York who played well.
Detroit runs the type of up-tempo offense that would allow him to shoot the basketball at will. Van Gundy has always liked to coach his teams to get shots up quickly, and that would fit Hardaway’s game perfectly.
Looking ahead to the 2015-16 season, Hardaway is going to be working hard this offseason looking to prove himself no matter where he ends up playing. He knows that his third season is one where high expectations will be placed on his shoulders. Switching teams would be a nice change for him, and the Pistons have some pieces like point guard Brandon Jennings that could force Phil Jackson to pull the trigger on a deal involving his young shooting guard.
At just 23 years old, Hardaway has a lot of time left to grow into his full potential. There is nothing holding him back, and the Pistons would be wise to acquire him while they still can. It wouldn’t cost them a lot to pull off a trade for him, and he would be a big piece of their chances and championship hopes for a long time to come.
Teams that want to take a big leap forward in 2015-16 will have to be aggressive with making moves this offseason, and making a move to bring in Hardaway could be a big step towards the playoffs for the Pistons. Van Gundy clearly sees something in him, and it will be interesting to see if the Knicks end up making the deal.
Evan Massey is a featured writer for www.RantSports.com, and contributes across the NFL, MLB, NCAA and NBA portions of the site. Follow him on Twitter at @Massey_Evan and like him on Facebook.
