Here's a breakdown of the trade in principle between the Phoenix Suns and Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.
The Deal
Pistons get: Forward Anthony Tolliver
Suns get: Forward Tony Mitchell
Detroit Pistons: B
Christmas Eve is usually a terrible time to shop, but Stan Van Gundy beat the crowds to pick up a veteran forward to bolster his team's depth in the wake of unexpectedly waiving Josh Smith earlier this week. There was some small thought in the wake of the Smith move that the Pistons were planning to rebuild. This move, which swaps a 22-year-old forward for a 29-year-old one, ends that notion. Tolliver can step into the backup role at power forward vacated by Greg Monroe's promotion to the starting lineup, and plays a more Van Gundy-friendly style at the position as a stretch 4 -- something Detroit did not have on the roster. A career 35.5 percent 3-point shooter, Tolliver shot 41.3 percent last year in Charlotte and had made 38.7 percent of his attempts so far this season.
