David (River Rouge, Mich.): If the Pistons fall out of the playoff picture like everyone is saying, do you see Joe D making a trade before the trade deadline? If so, don’t you think T-Mac would be a good fit? He is the highest-paid player this year and it’s the last year of his contract.
Langlois: Loaded questions, David. First, “everyone” isn’t saying the Pistons are likely to fall out of the playoff picture. There’s not the certainty that they’ll make the field as there has been for the last six or seven years, but they’re certainly in the mix with a handful of other teams for what appears to be four of the eight Eastern Conference playoff berths. As for Tracy McGrady, Houston has a valuable bargaining chip in his expiring deal. They can hang on to it, see his salary come off the cap next July and then go heavily after someone like Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudemire. So if you’re going to tempt them to trade that contract – and lose their chance to be a major player in next summer’s free agency – you’re going to have to give them a player of real value. The Pistons would have to combine two of their three largest salaries – they belong to Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Ben Gordon – in order for a McGrady deal to work, in all likelihood. I don’t see a fit with the Pistons.
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