Austin Daye and Will Bynum aren't just two players who don't seem fazed by the uncertainty that comes with the NBA trade deadline -- they are two players who seem anxious to be traded if it meant a chance to actually play.
Neither openly lobbied for a trade, of course, but it is clear that uniform is less important to them than opportunity. Can't say that I necessarily blame them, either.
Said Daye:
"I would be open just to play anywhere," Daye said after the Pistons practiced this morning in Salt Lake City before traveling here for a Wednesday game against the Sacramento Kings. "I don't really mind where it is, as long as I get to play. If it's here, and I get to play, I'd be happy with it." ....
Daye, asked directly if he would welcome a trade, did not dismiss it as a potentially positive development.
"If it stays like this, where I'm not playing any minutes, it's tough to say," he said. "I mean, I like Detroit, I like the organization, and I like everything that's gone on, but during this year, I just haven't been able to get long stretches of minutes and I haven't really gotten to play a lot. So whatever situation's best for me, as far as playing, that's what I'd like to do."
And Bynum:
Bynum, asked if this is a particularly stressful time, replied that he's "stressed every day I ain't playing."
"But I'm not stressed about a trade," he said. "It's OK, either way it goes, I'm still blessed. You never know what may happen, man. I don't really want to get into it until it actually happens. Just stay prepared. That's all you can do."
I would be open to the Pistons trading Bynum for pretty much anything. The team is obviously intent on sticking with its three-guard rotation and if the team needed anything in the reserve it's more of a true point than a sparkplug off the bench such as Bynum.
However, I'd probably be pretty upset with anything they would get for Daye. It would be the ultimate sell low situation. Although he's struggled somewhat in each of his first three years, this year he is absolutely in the tank and it is inconceivable that it is indicative of his true talent level.
You just don't go from shooting 40 percent on 3-pointers last year to shooting less than 20 percent this year. And besides, any deal would not bring them back anything of real value, either in terms of a pick, player or financial flexibility. He's on the hook for just under $3 million next season and the Pistons should use that time to re-evaluate whether Daye fits into their future plans.
This season might be lost for Daye but that does not mean his career is hopeless.
H/T to TDP who was there first.