Tayshaun Prince the latest '04 Piston to return

The 2004 Detroit Pistons just can't stay away, can they?

Tayshaun Prince, acquired by the Pistons today in a deadline trade with the Boston Celtics, is the latest member of the 2004 NBA champions to make his return to Auburn Hills in some capacity.

In fact, that now makes four players from the starting five from that team to come back:

• Ben Wallace: The big man, the first of the five to leave the Pistons in 2006, returned in 2009 and wound up playing his final three seasons in Detroit, albeit in limited minutes and production. He retired following the 2011-12 season.

• Chauncey Billups: The NBA Finals MVP and All-Star point guard was part of the infamous Allen Iverson trade in 2008 that sent Billups to Denver. He returned to the Pistons for the 2013-14 season to finish his career in Detroit, but he ended up playing in just 19 games due to knee injuries.

• Rasheed Wallace: Wallace, a power forward, left the Pistons after the 2008-09 season and, despite not returning as a player, he did return as an assistant coach last season under Maurice Cheeks, who was fired after just 50 games on the job. Wallace didn't return once Stan Van Gundy was brought on board.

• Tayshaun Prince: And that brings us to Prince, the small forward who was brought back to Detroit today in a deal that sent Luigi Datome and Jonas Jerebko to Boston. Of the starting five in 2004, Prince stuck around the longest before being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in 2013. Two years later, he returns.

That leaves us one more player from that starting five: Richard Hamilton, who left the Pistons in 2011 after feuding with former coach John Kuester for much of the season.

He's currently a free agent who hasn't played since 2013 (with the Chicago Bulls). What are you waiting for, Van Gundy?!

Contact Brian Manzullo: bmanzullo@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BrianManzullo.