DETROIT _ There's a chance Andre Drummond played his final game in a Detroit Pistons uniform Wednesday night.
He made it a good one.
Drummond scored 31 points, grabbed 19 rebounds and added two steals to lead the Pistons to a 116-108 victory at Little Caesars Arena.
The Pistons (19-34) used a 15-7 run to end the game and pull away from the Phoenix Suns.
Reggie Jackson, another potential trade candidate, added 25 points and 10 assists. He was 5 for 9 from 3-point range.
Christian Wood, who is reportedly drawing trade interest, finished with 21 points and eight rebounds.
The Pistons forced 15 turnovers, which led to 19 points.
Kelly Oubre scored 30, DeAndre Ayton had 26 and Devin Booker added 22 for the Suns (20-31).
The Pistons were without Derrick Rose (left hip), Markieff Morris (flu), Svi Mykhailiuk (right hip), Luke Kennard (knee soreness) and Blake Griffin (left knee surgery).
Kennard was the target in trade talks with the Suns, but ESPN reported during the game the discussions were at an impasse.
The Suns were missing ex-Piston Aron Baynes (left hip), Tyler Johnson (right knee), Frank Kaminsky (right patella) and Dario Saric (left ankle).
In early January, it appeared Drummond, who has spent 8 { seasons with the Pistons, was destined to be traded.
First, the Charlotte Hornets were linked to Drummond.
Then it was the Dallas Mavericks' turn.
The Atlanta Hawks presented the best opportunity to trade Drummond.
Then the New York Knicks were up.
The expectation was that Drummond would be traded as the Pistons look to move to the next chapter and officially start to rebuild.
"We probably have to take some chances with some of the young guys, but absolutely," Pistons owner Tom Gores said Jan. 2. "That's what we're aspiring to _ something bigger than what we've been doing, but I haven't lost faith in what (Pistons coach Dwane Casey) is doing and how we're developing the players and our future."
But moving Drummond is tougher than it sounds.
The Hawks talks failed to gain traction when they got cold feet from how much it would cost to re-sign Drummond.
That's the main issue with trading Drummond.
The Pistons are working to land more than just expiring matching salaries.
They want at least one asset, meaning either a young player with promise or a future draft pick.
That could be a tough ask.
Drummond has a $28.7 million player option for next season that he said he plans to decline, meaning he will hit the open market this summer. He would try to sign a multi-year deal without much competition in what's considered a down year for free agents.
Why would a team surrender an asset for a two-month rental?
There's also the possibility Drummond could pick up the option, which could motivate the Pistons to make a move Thursday.
Drummond requested a contract extension last offseason; the Pistons countered with an offer far less than a maximum contract.
Drummond told reporters last month that he would prefer to remain in Detroit.
"I'm not a quitter, never brought up to be a quitter," Drummond said. "I started here, and I'm trying to finish here and try to complete the mission of winning a championship here. It'll never be me that wants to go anywhere.
"I'd love to play the rest of my career here."
