The NBA trade deadline is Thursday, March 25th at 3 PM Eastern. We should be seeing a few trades before then, so buckle up, grab some popcorn, and pay close attention to news sources. One trade that recently has gone down was between the Sacramento Kings and Detroit Pistons.

The two teams have swapped point guards it seems, as the Kings receive Delon Wright. As for the Pistons, they receive Cory Joseph, a second-round pick in 2021, and a second-round pick in 2024. At first glance, it seems like a fair deal for both squads. However, with both teams at the bottom of their conferences, one must question, does this trade really improve either team?

The Sacramento Kings walk away with a better backup point guard to play behind De'Aaron Fox. Likely a trade that needed to happen to give the Kings better depth. It doesn't necessarily improve the roster a ton, but Fox can feel better while he's resting that Wright can get the job done off the bench.

This season, Wright has been averaging 10.4 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game. He's a 6-5 point guard that gives the Kings some length off the bench. Wright is also a decent defender, as he's averaging 1.6 steals per game. The Kings ensured the point guard position with this trade so they can now focus on improving in other areas.

The Detroit Pistons on the other hand downgraded their point guard position, however, they also received a couple of future draft picks. The picks make sense for the Pistons, as they're currently re-building. Also, Cory Joseph is serviceable as a point guard in the NBA.

This trade was more of a way for the front office to acquire draft picks than it was to acquire Corey Joseph. However, it's not like Joseph is a bum either. He's currently averaging 6.6 points, 2.5 assists, and 2.3 rebounds. As I said, he's not the worst player in the world, but compared to Delon Wright, this is a downgrade at the position for the Detroit Pistons.

Between the two teams, each walked away with something they wanted. The Kings upgraded the depth on their roster, while the Pistons acquired some drat picks in the future. With each team not likely to make the playoffs this year, Sacramento walks away as a slight winner in the deal, as the point guard position is rather solid for this team going forward. However, considering neither of these teams is likely to make the postseason, it seems rather odd the Kings were willing to give up two second-round picks in the deal.

TRADE GRADES

Sacramento Kings – (B)

Detroit Pistons – (B-)

The Kings may play better down the stretch now that they have Delon Wright. With the new “play-in” games the NBA is utilizing this year for the playoffs, Sacramento just needs to make it to the 10th seed to have a shot at the playoffs. They're currently three games behind 10th place, and with plenty of games left, the Kings likely believe Wright gives them the depth they need to potentially earn their way into the “play-in” game.

The Detroit Pistons are in full-on rebuild mode. The two draft picks acquired are in the second round, which isn't too valuable in the NBA. With Detroit clearly selling, they may not be done trading yet, as the front office might be searching to acquire a first-round pick before the deadline.