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Just three days remain until the NBA trade deadline, the teams are getting ready, sportsbooks revamp their apps, and people are reviewing their lists of prospective trade targets and giving them one last chance to work something out before crossing out their names.

Potential Trade of Saddiq Bey to New York Knicks

Forward Saddiq Bey of the Detroit Pistons is one such possibility. Bey won’t be traded at the deadline, but his name has been associated with more and more organizations lately, the New York Knicks being the most recent.

Detroit Pistons, who are currently #28 on numberFire’s power rankings, need a good shakeup to their lineup. The team is partnered with BetRivers, which is one of the most successful sportsbooks and online casinos in the nation. In 2022, Michigan reported total online gambling revenue of $1.98 billion.

The 6-foot-7 Bey fits the bill as the Knicks search the NBA rosters for reliable wing bench depth. Saddiq Bey, a player from Detroit, has been quite a topic for discussion as of late, according to Ian Begley, NBA Insider of SNY. One of the organizations that have expressed interest in Saddiq is the New York Knicks. Begley is unaware of how far negotiations have progressed, but Bey, clearly a Villanova guy, could benefit the Knicks from a depth standpoint.

The fact that Saddiq has been temporarily moved to the bench will inevitably lead to additional trade speculation, but it doesn’t necessarily imply that he will be traded at the deadline. For starters, he has returned to the starting lineup, and that is unlikely to change as long as the Pistons lack the center depth that allowed them to briefly try out a frontcourt of Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart. Furthermore, despite being a player with flaws, Bey is beginning to hit his three-ball more consistently.

What Would the Deal Mean for Knicks and Pistons

But let’s get back to the Knicks. Begley did mention the lengthy recent history of Troy Weaver’s Pistons making agreements with Leon Rose and the Knicks. Recent deals include three different ones for Nerlens Noel, Derrick Rose, and Alec Burks, as well as a draft selection for Kemba Walker’s salary dump.

Obi Toppin is the lone forward who has recently seen time off the bench for the Knicks under Tom Thibedou, while Cam Reddish is totally out of the rotation.

A hypothetical agreement is more difficult to locate. Would the trade be as straightforward as Cam Reddish for Saddiq Bey, along with the right to Detroit’s closely guarded future first-round pick? Will it be too much for Bey?

The Knicks would be interested in it because they would receive an immediate boost from the bench and a young player who is probably of the level they were hoping to choose with the Pistons’ eventual first-round choice. There is no harm in obtaining what you want now rather than a prospective player two or three years down the line if they are happy with what it would cost to keep Bey on a long-term deal.

For the Pistons, the deal would not only provide them more dealmaking flexibility by enabling them to trade a first-round choice in subsequent deals but also the pick itself. First-round selections shouldn’t be traded by weak teams, which is one of the reasons we never objected to the protected first-round pick deal that gave the Pistons Isaiah Stewart in the first place.