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Detroit Pistons fans react to 'fire sale' a day before NBA trade deadline

jared ramsey, detroit free press
·5 min read
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Monte Morris in his Pistons debut Jan. 24 vs. Charlotte.
Monte Morris in his Pistons debut Jan. 24 vs. Charlotte.

The Detroit Pistons are having a busy day, completing their second trade the day before the 2024 NBA trade deadline.

The Pistons traded veteran point guard Monte Morris to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for 27-year-old guard Shake Milton, Troy Brown Jr. and a 2030 second-round pick.

This is the second trade of the afternoon for the Pistons and the third they've made in the last month. This time, the Pistons were sellers, after sending out assets to pick up Simone Fontecchio from the Utah Jazz earlier in the day, and securing Mike Muscala and Danilo Gallinari from the Wizards in January.

Both Brown and Milton were on the rotation fringe for the 35-16 Timberwolves, who are tied for first in the Western Conference. Both players have non-guaranteed contracts for next season.

Morris, a Flint native, arrived for the Pistons over the offseason in a deal with the Wizards but his time playing for the hometown team was cut short. Morris, who dealt with injuries since the trade, made his Pistons debut Jan. 24 and appeared in six games, averaging 4.5 points and 1.3 assists in limited minutes, while shooting 36.4% from the field and 18.2% from 3-point range.

Milton, 6-5 and 205 pounds, has experience playing multiple roles in the backcourt and has shown an ability in the past to create his own shot. Milton spent the previous five seasons with Philadelphia, before signing a two-year, $10 million deal with Minnesota in free agency, and is averaging just 4.7 points per game this season on the worst efficiency of his career (26.4% from 3 on 1.4 attempts per game).

Brown, 6-6 and 215 pounds, averaged 4.2 points over 11.1 minutes per game in 37 appearances this season. He adds some shooting to a Pistons roster in desperate need, making 36.9% of his 2.3 attempts from 3-point range per game.

The Pistons are also one player over the NBA roster limit of 15 players following the two deals on Wednesday, meaning another trade could be on the horizon before the 3 p.m. Thursday trade deadline.

After the trade was announced, Pistons fans were happy the team is finally being active and looking to improve the margins of the roster with the league's worst record at 6-43.

On the other side of the coin, media members and Timberwolves fans were happy about the upgrade at backup point guard to provide more stability in the bench unit for Minnesota, which is in a four-way tie for first in the conference.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons fans react to 'fire sale' at NBA trade deadline 2024