Reggie Jackson to Pistons: Latest Trade Details, Comments, Reaction

For the second time in the last three seasons, the Oklahoma City Thunder have traded their high-profile sixth man before he could hit restricted free agency. The Thunder and Detroit Pistons agreed to a deal that will send point guard Reggie Jackson to Detroit right before the Thursday trade deadline, per the Pistons.

Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the news and added that Detroit will send Kyle Singler to the Thunder. As part of the deal, Wojnarowski reported that Enes Kanter and D.J. Augustin are heading to Oklahoma City too. 

Jackson commented on the news, via Twitter:

Jackson, 24, has been with the Thunder since being drafted No. 24 overall in 2011. A raw prospect out of Boston College, Jackson has developed into one of the game's better bench pieces. He's averaging 12.8 points, 4.2 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game, though Detroit was likely intrigued by what Jackson did in extended minutes earlier this season.

Stan Van Gundy had more on Jackson in the team's release:

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“We’re pleased to welcome Reggie Jackson to the organization,” said Stan Van Gundy, Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations for the Detroit Pistons.  “Reggie is a young player with good size and length at the guard position.  He’s been successful as a starter playing extended minutes and we feel he’s a good addition to our roster.  We thank both DJ Augustin and Kyle Singler for their contributions and wish them well moving forward.”

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With Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant out with injury, Jackson got off to a red-hot start that had some talking about him as a $14 million-per-year player. He scored 19.5 points, dished 7.5 assists and grabbed 5.3 boards a night in November, proving himself as a capable (albeit flawed) primary ball-handler.

The desire to expand his role over the long term ultimately led to Jackson's departure. Like James Harden three years ago, Jackson turned down a non-max offer before the Halloween extension deadline. Sam Amick of USA Today reported the Thunder offered four years and $48 million, an admittedly above-market price for someone with Jackson's resume.

Armed with knowledge of his desire to start and spurred by his impending (restricted) free agency, the Thunder began shopping Jackson when their starters got healthy. A number of teams were linked tangentially, but nothing got serious until the deadline approached. Jackson and his representatives also helped stoke the coals in the process by formally requesting a trade, per Wojnarowski.

That report led to an awkward Wednesday meeting with reporters in which Jackson unsuccessfully attempted to sidestep the questioning. The result was Jackson all but admitting he and his agent discussed the trade request—no surprise given Wojnarowski's excellent track record.

Kevin Durant talked about Jackson's desire to be traded, according to Royce Young of ESPN.com:

Now that he has received his wish, though, it'll be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out. Right before the All-Star break, Jackson was closer to an active minus for the Thunder than an asset. His minutes have dropped in every month of the season and were down to 19 per game in February. Dion Waiters' arrival in particular eroded Jackson's playing time.

"Going forward, minutes are earned," Thunder coach Scott Brooks told reporters last month. "Those bench minutes are going to be very competitive. But I like [Waiters'] intensity, I like his commitment to stopping the ball. That's been a problem of ours, and we have to get better with that, and I think he did a good job of it tonight." 

Oklahoma City also had to contend with Jackson chasing stats over what was best for the team. In one eye-opening instance, Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka froze Jackson out of the offense in a game against the Brooklyn Nets.

To put it mildly, the Harden comparisons begin and end with their impending free-agent status contributing to their Oklahoma City exits. Jackson is a deeply flawed player who will have to prove himself in Detroit over the next couple of months to even garner the $48 million offer he turned down in October.   

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.