To no one's surprise, the Detroit Pistons are terrible. So terrible, that they are in a tight race to bag the first overall pick. Detroit is in rebuild mode and is full of young players with potential or reclamations projects, such as Josh Jackson and Dennis Smith, Jr.

Their big acquisition, Jerami Grant has turned out to be better than expected. It is hard to believe that a role player on the contending Denver Nuggets last year would end up having usage similar to Jimmy Butler's. Grant decided to sign with the Pistons to have a bigger, offensive role.

So far, the move has been paying dividends as Grant is the favorite to win the Most Improved Player Award with averages of 23.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.1 blocks per outing in 38 games. But, despite his resurgence, there are changes that need to be made, whether it's shipping a player out of town or bringing another one in.

Here are two trades for Detroit to consider. 

Mason Plumlee for Tristan Thompson and two second-round picks (2021 and 2022)

One of the surprising moves the Pistons made was to sign then 30-year old Plumlee to a three-year, $8 million contract. The amount and length of the contract did not seem right for a rebuilding team. Nevertheless, Detroit would be a worse team if they did not get the veteran big man. 

The Boston Celtics have primarily used the trio of Thompson, Daniel Theis, and Robert Williams at center. There are even times when two of these three players are rolled out at the same time.  

Like Thompson, Plumlee is a strong rebounder, who scores less than 10 points almost all of which are done inside the paint. Both are not good shooters, as evidenced by their poor, career free throw percentages, which limits their potential in today's NBA.

Plumlee is not known for his defense, but in this regard, he is an upgrade over Thompson, who is one of the worst defenders at the position. Also, Plumlee provides uncommon playmaking at the 5 with his second, career-best mark of 3.6 assists per game. This could help bring the Boston offense to a new level.  

On the other hand, the Pistons will increase and improve their draft capital, while having a shorter contract for a veteran center. The move could open up more opportunities for rookie Isaiah Stewart.

Wayne Ellington for a second round-pick (2021 via New York Knicks)  

One of the main reasons the Philadelphia 76ers are at the top of the Eastern Conference standings is because of the outside shooting provided by veterans Danny Green and Seth Curry. This has opened up the floor for the team's stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.

As good as the Green and Curry moves have been, the duo can just as easily start launching bricks and hurt the team. During times like these, it would be good to have another three-point threat and this is where Ellington comes in. 

Before sustaining a minor injury this season, he has been scoring 10.6 points a game and shooting 42.2% from deep for the Pistons. In a March 3rd matchup against the Toronto Raptors, he erupted for 25 points while going draining eight of 11 attempts from downtown.

Ellington is already 33-years old and does not provide much else aside from his three-point shooting, so the returns are quite modest. Nevertheless, having more picks increases the chances of the Pistons front office finding a contributor moving forward.