Which star player will save the Pistons?
Detroit is expected to "swing for the fences." Let's track down every possible name to find their savior.
It’s January 15th, which means every player in the NBA without a no-trade clause can be moved. The Pistons made a deal yesterday, and don’t seem done — check out the last line of this tweet from Yahoo’s Vincent Goodwill:
If dumping Marvin Bagley III and Isaiah Livers (along with second round picks) for expiring contracts is the “first step” — what’s next? A bigger trade?
It seems so. Here’s two quotes from The Athletic’s James Edwards III in recent articles, emphasis mine:
Over the next 10 months, specifically, the Pistons will be looking to upgrade their roster significantly.
All signs have pointed to the Pistons not making any huge shakeups as it pertains to the roster between now and the trade deadline (it feels like the big swings will come in the offseason), but that doesn’t mean Detroit still can’t make upgrades to its roster.
JE3 does a great job, so if we’re to believe both his and Goodwill’s reporting on the front office’s intentions, the Pistons will enter next season with at least one new star-level player on the roster.
Let’s go through each of the 29 other NBA teams and track down who this player might be.
Eastern Conference
Celtics: Tatum, Brown, Holiday, Porzingis
76ers: Embiid, Maxey
Knicks: Brunson, Randle, Anunoby
Randle feels gettable and the first name I’ll add to the list, but it’s for bad reasons — he is as frustrating as star players come, he has $62 million left on his deal after this season, and he wears Sketchers.
Nets: Bridges (as much as I don’t want to believe so)
Raptors: Siakam, Barnes
I do not believe for one second that the Pistons would:
have enough to get Pascal Siakam
convince Pascal Siakam to sign here long term
Cavaliers: Mitchell, Garland, Mobley, Allen
Is Jarrett Allen a star? Stars shine even when the lights get too bright.
Still, I feel okay adding Allen to the potential list — Cleveland needs to stop starting two bigs, Mobley is clearly the best choice, and Detroit needs a defensive center.
Pacers: Haliburton
Bulls: LaVine, DeRozan
Again, these are players who feel gettable. They would instantly make the Pistons better. And yet, I’m left feeling so dry about the potential of them coming to Detroit, especially with their injury history.
Bucks: Antetokounmpo, Lillard, Middleton
Ditto with the Bulls.
Heat: Butler, Adebayo, Herro
Herro would solve much of the Pistons wing scoring issues, but deepen the defensive black hole. I think Miami is saving him for a star trade, but if they can’t find one and want to move out of his salary slot, Detroit may allow Miami to become big-star hunters in the offseason with a Herro trade.
Hawks: Young, Murray
Dejounte is simultaneously overrated for 29 other NBA teams and underrated for how good he would be in a Pistons uniform. He probably would continue to not try on defense, but if his job is to run around and score from any of the guard/wing spots, I see him thriving in Detroit. Not to mention, we haven’t seen a player THIS available since John Collins.
Hornets: Ball (although I think he is a sneaky trade candidate for another team)
Wizards: Poole, Kuzma
Poole is available, but he’s the perfect Wizards tank commander and they should keep him through his deal — he will keep them at the top of the lottery, no questions asked. Kuzma, however, would thrive as a forward in Detroit, certainly loves the Pistons, and is available for a steep price. (I think a contender snags him.)
Magic: Banchero, Wagner
Western Conference
Thunder: Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren, Williams
(There’s a piece to be written about whether or not Detroit should’ve traded the #1 pick in the 2021 draft to Oklahoma City for SGA and the 6th pick — Giddey or Franz)
Trail Blazers: Henderson, Grant, Simons, Ayton
I don’t think any of these players are untouchable, so they’re not crossed off… but I think these are some of the most unlikely names of “gettable” players for the Pistons. It seems like Portland values each highly and each is on a good contract (as far as % of cap). Please no Deandre Ayton.
Jazz: Markkanen (the Pistons do not have enough)
Nuggets: Jokic, Murray, Porter
Timberwolves: Edwards, Towns, Gobert
Warriors: Curry, Thompson, Green, Wiggins, Podziemski (lol)
This is simply a “I do not frickin’ know” team from top to bottom. No dynasty goes out smoothly, but anything outside of trading Curry is on the table.
Clippers: Leonard, George, Harden
Kings: Fox, Sabonis, Murray
Suns: Durant, Booker, Beal
Lakers: James, Davis, Reaves
Spurs: Wembanyama
Mavericks: Doncic, Irving
Grizzlies: Morant, Jackson Jr., Bane
Rockets: Van Vleet, Sengun, Eason, Green
Jalen Green might be gettable. Might. It would cost a lot, and certainly not the best guy to go for, but he’s a former Pistons draft crush — you can’t rule anything out.
Pelicans: Williamson, Ingram, Murphy III, McCollum
The final list:
If the Pistons stay within in their means of what they can reasonably trade (anybody but Cunningham or Duren), one of these players will be a Piston next season:
Julius Randle
Jarrett Allen
Zach LaVine
DeMar DeRozan
Khris Middleton
Tyler Herro
Dejounte Murray
Kyle Kuzma
Jerami Grant
Anfernee Simons
Deandre Ayton
Klay Thompson
Draymond Green
Andrew Wiggins
Jalen Green
Here’s some key points:
If the Pistons trade for a better player than any of these listed without giving up Cunningham or Duren, it is a massive win for the front office… a tenure-defining win that ensures Troy Weaver sees this entire thing through.
If the Pistons trade for a worse player than any of these listed (like Patrick Williams, for example) and come into next season with a mostly similar group, it is my opinion that the front office should no longer hold their positions.
It hasn’t been reported, but one can imagine the Pistons could trade their first round pick this year on draft day — the class is weak, and the team does not need any more young players who need time to develop — so factor that into the fake offseason trades you make.
So… who will it be?
I’ll leave that up to you. Reply with which name on the list you think is most likely to be a Piston in 2024.
Murray or Kuzma