Should The Detroit Pistons Trade For A Star?
Despite a 17-4 start, the Pistons face a major question: stay patient with their growing core or trade for a star.
Even throughout a historic start to the 2025-26 season for the Detroit Pistons, including a franchise-record-tying 13-game winning streak, one constant thought bubble hangs over one of the NBA’s best teams through the first month of the season:
Who will Detroit go star-hunting for this year?
At 17-4, the Pistons are the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. They lost just two games in the month of November, and only the Oklahoma City Thunder have won more games than Detroit.
But the talk surrounding the Pistons so far this year is not just about the success the team has had on the court. Instead, speculation has run rampant that they are a prime candidate to go in-season star hunting before the trade deadline.
Whether it is Lauri Markkanen or Anthony Davis, league pundits believe that the Pistons could and/or should go big-game hunting to pair another star alongside the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Month, Cade Cunningham.
The price to acquire a star-level player in today’s league is almost always steep, except if you are the Los Angeles Lakers trading for Luka Doncic. When it comes to making a move for the likes of Markkanen, Davis, or another star near or around their caliber, it will cost the Pistons a multitude of their best assets to complete such a move.
While the Pistons would likely balk at almost any deal that would require one of Jalen Duren or Ausar Thompson, and of course Cunningham, to be traded away, the team does have assets it could package to make a significant impact in the trade market.
The team’s remaining best assets include:
Tobias Harris
Jaden Ivey
Ron Holland
Isaiah Stewart
First-round draft picks
Would it make sense for the Pistons to part with two or three of their top player assets, as well as several first-round picks, to make a big move before the deadline?
While there are clear benefits to acquiring an All-Star-level player, the risks have to be considered as well. In any type of deal for a star, the team that acquires the premier player is sending out a package of several top assets.
Yet one of Detroit’s best qualities is its depth. It has played a crucial role in the team’s success this year. With extended absences from Tobias Harris, Jaden Ivey, and Isaiah Stewart, players such as Daniss Jenkins, Chaz Lanier, and Paul Reed have stepped up when called upon. The Pistons have won several games this year in which Cunningham, Ivey, Thompson, Harris, and Duren all did not play.
Does sacrificing youth, draft capital, depth, and financial flexibility make sense for a team that is performing as well as Detroit has?
That is a significant equation that Trajan Langdon and the rest of Detroit’s front office will have to ponder over the coming months. The NBA trade deadline is not until February. The Pistons will play many more games before the front office has to make a decision either way.
It may make more sense for the Pistons to let this season play out, continuing to examine how their young core develops alongside one another. Allowing the nucleus of the team to endure another playoff run together could do wonders for long-term success and sustainability.
Or perhaps the Pistons should trade for Lauri Markkanen, Anthony Davis, or another star-level player who becomes available in the market. Those opportunities are not always out there.
That being said, it is not a decision for you or me to make. What do you think the Pistons should do?