Pistons Trade Ben Gordon To Bobcats For Corey Maggette

Pistons Trade For Corey Maggette Leaves Them With Options

The Charlotte Bobcats and Detroit Pistons made a trade on Tuesday night that likely isn't going to get a lot of fans in a frenzy, but the respective fan bases were left with quite a bit to think about. Neither Ben Gordon or Corey Maggette are without flaws, unfortunately, but their albatross contracts are probably the biggest problem.

While the Bobcats seem okay with taking on Gordon's contract in exchange for a future first round pick, our friends over at Detroit Bad Boys are debating how fast the Pistons should try and get Maggette off the books. After much deliberation about buying him out or trying to flip him for parts as soon as possible, Mike Payne decided that it's probably best just to keep the flawed flat-out scorer.

There's no real sense in buying out Maggette since he alone won't present enough cap savings to spend more than the MLE Detroit already has at its disposal. It would be a wise move to keep him on contract and at the end of the bench and see what nibbles can be had closer to the trade deadline. If he is healthy and even cracks the rotation, he might fetch a decent price on the market-- enough for a late first round pick or a role player from another team. The expiring salary alone is enough to interest many teams at the deadline.

It's a bit sad that a guy who averaged 15.0 points per game in less than 28 minutes of action is thought of as nothing more than trade bait or a possible buyout option, but that's probably why people are always saying that basketball is a business.

For more on the Bobcats, please visit Rufus On Fire. For more on the Pistons, please check out Detroit Bad Boys and SB Nation Detroit.

Pistons' 2013 Pick Included In Ben Gordon Trade Protected In The Lottery

The 2013 first-round pick that the Detroit Pistons included in their trade with the Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday will be protected in the lottery, reports Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski. That means that Charlotte will only take the pick if the Pistons make the playoffs. Detroit hasn't made the postseason since 2009.

Woj also reports that the pick is protected through No. 8 in 2014, protected at No. 1 for 2015 and unprotected in 2016. Chances are, given Detroit's projection, that Charlotte will either grab it in the mid- to late teens in 2013 or in the teens in 2014.

The move was a big ol' salary cap dump by Detroit. Charlotte, rebuilding with young players, who come with cheap contracts, took on the extra salary for a potentially better fit and the extra asset. One would expect Ben Gordon to play with or come off the bench behind Kemba Walker and Gerald Henderson.

For more on the Bobcats, please visit Rufus On Fire. For more on the Pistons, please check out Detroit Bad Boys and SB Nation Detroit.

Detroit Pistons Trade Ben Gordon To Charlotte Bobcats, According To Report

The Detroit Pistons have traded Ben Gordon and a first-round pick to the Charlotte Bobcats in return for Corey Maggette, according to a report.