A funny thing happened after Detroit waived washed-up small forward Josh Smith late last month. They started winning.
The Pistons won seven straight and nine of the last 10 games following Smith's departure, thanks in large part to inspired play from Greg Monroe and Brandon Jennings,. It's not like Detroit faced paltry opponents either. They beat Dallas, Brooklyn, Toronto, defending NBA champ San Antonio, and Cleveland - with a healthy LeBron James - to move themselves within just two games of a playoff berth. Yes, a 14-24 record is considered playoff-worthy in the Eastern Conference.
How does this affect the Los Angeles Lakers? Jennings and Monroe- arguably considered the cogs in Detroit's incredible turnaround- may find themselves in Hollywood sooner than later.
Per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne:
Dion Waiters is already on his way to Oklahoma City, but the latter could make an immediate impact in what has become the Lakers' worst season since moving to Los Angeles. The front office balked on Rajon Rondo and didn't make any significant upgrades during the offseason. If anything, trading for either starter would show an invective fan base that they're actually trying.
Since Dec. 26, Jennings has three double-doubles, five 20-plus point nights, and a career-high .454 field goal percentage. Monroe, who is an unrestricted free agent this summer, holds the league's 12th highest wins above replacement average (2.68) for a power forward, according to ESPN. Monday night marked Monroe's seventh consecutive game with a double-double, notching 22 points and 10 rebounds in the Pistons' stunning 114-111 victory in Toronto.
Among the concerns stopping the duo from wearing purple and gold is whether the Lakers want to keep their protected lottery pick. Phoenix owns any first-round selection falling outside of the top-five as part of the disastrous deal that brought Steven Nash to L.A. two seasons ago. Bringing Jennings and/or Monroe onboard all but assures they fall outside the threshold. More worrisome is that the Lakers gave it up for a pair of rentals.
The Pistons signed Monroe to a one-year qualifying offer in September after failing to reach an agreement on a long-term contract extension. The Lakers were linked to him last spring but may have been discouraged by the young center's hefty price tag.
Trading for Monroe would give the Lakers an upper hand once he begins shopping around. Then again, if the Pistons couldn't lock Monroe up to a reported five-year, $60 million, expect Lakers' general manager Mitch Kupchak's potential offer to be somewhere between $13-15 million.
Jennings in under contract through 2015-16. All that would mean for the Lakers is that they have about $8.4 million less to make a run at Rondo or Reggie Jackson in the summer. It would make sense if Los Angeles was on the bubble in terms of the postseason, or if they didn't have a top draft pick in limbo. But acquiring Jennings doesn't make sense in the long term.
The Pistons don't have much incentive for trading Jennings and Monroe. They have a good thing going with the duo averaging just under 40 points a night. Factor in Andre Drummond's conference-leading 13 boards a night and the Pistons look like a legitimate playoff team. Why mess with a winning streak?
And it's not like the Lakers have much to offer. Julius Randle and Nick Young are nearly untouchable, as are upcoming draft picks, and anyone else not named Kobe Bryant wouldn't haul in much.
Carlos Boozer's contract is off the books this summer, as are Lin and Nash's atrocious deals. Big name free agents are coming and many will target Laker Land. One may even be Monroe. For now, there's no need to jump the gun.