Your Detroit Pistons Trade Deadline Primer | The Weekly Drive
The best team in the Eastern Conference is ripe for a trade, but will they make one ahead of Thursday's deadline?
Hey there Pistons fans, and welcome back to the Weekly Drive. It is NBA Trade Deadline week, and that means one thing:
Chaos.
Or, more likely, speculative chaos with a smattering of disappointment and chest-puffing. For the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons…to trade, or not to trade - that is the question. Yes, I did see Hamnet the other day. Why do you ask?
Anyway, lets talk about the Pistons and the trade deadline as well as some targets, potential packages, and the harsh reality that they more than likely aren’t selling the farm. At least not yet.
Michael Porter Jr.
Maybe the most-likely big swing is Michael Porter Jr. of the Brooklyn Nets, who is having himself an excellent season. The former Denver Nugget is averaging 25.2 points per game on 48.5% shooting, including 39.5% from beyond the three-point arc. But there is a caveat: the Nets are hot garbage and don’t have another scorer to take shots away from MPJ, so some of his stats may be slightly inflated. Somebody has to score on that team, and Porter is more than willing to shoot (almost 19 shot attempts per game, easily a career-high).
Porter fits well with a Pistons team that is certainly in need of a secondary scorer behind Cade Cunningham. In a playoff scenario, Detroit could very easily be exposed for not having a release valve if Cunningham gets double-teamed or offense becomes tough to come by. Porter solves that, and defenses cannot sag off of him.
The issues are somewhat significant though, as Tobias Harris may have to go back to Brooklyn in return. That is a tough locker room swap, as Harris is well-respected by the young guns and is a pseudo-coach. The Nets would want a sweetener too, perhaps a few picks and/or one of Jaden Ivey or Ron Holland. This quickly delves into “uh oh” territory for a player in MPJ that has never been this good until now. Nevertheless, this is the kind of swing that does not cripple the asset cupboard nor does it handicap Detroit’s financial health for several years to come.
Chances of happening: Medium
Trey Murphy
Be still my beating heart. Trey Murphy has popped up in trade rumor mills for a few years now, but this time things are getting a little more interesting. The New Orleans Pelicans are being run by two familiar friends (volatile edition) in Troy Weaver and Joe Dumars. Arguably, and objectively, the worst front office in the NBA. Ill say it, sue me.
Murphy fits like a glove on any team, but he is essentially young Klay Thompson with a lethal long-range shot and enough size and athleticism to drive to the rack and defend. His contract is also absurdly good value at $25 million per year for the next four seasons. Sign me up.
Not so fast. Even the Pelicans aren’t that stupid (well, I don’t think they are at least) to let go of their best player without a king’s ransom. No, not the Sacramento Kings who actually just have a random (assortment of players). New Orleans should, and presumably will, ask for the moon for Murphy. I’m talking Ausar Thompson/Holland, Ivey, multiple first round picks and pick swaps plus salary to make things work financially.
That is a tough pill to swallow for a front office that has remained steadfast in “not taking extra steps” in the process. So, given that, I don’t think they will. At least not right now.
Chances of happening: Low
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Nope.
Chances of happening: Nope, but in italics
[Insert Ball-Handler Here]
That was intentional, I didn’t just forget write my player in. There are myriad players that fit that description, so here are a few (but not all possible) names: Coby White (Chicago Bulls), Ayo Dosunmu (also the Bulls), Gabe Vincent (Los Angeles Lakers), and Jose Alvarado (Pelicans).
As my podcast co-host Jasper Apollonia mentioned on last week’s show, White makes a lot of sense as an expiring contract who immediately gives you some juice off the bench. The Pistons can absorb his contract into a trade exception, give the Bulls a pick that they won’t use correctly, and see what happens. White is averaging 18.8 points per game on 45% shooting. Sure!
Dosunmu’s stock is perhaps at an all-time high and is one of the best backup guards in the league right now. The 26-year-old is averaging a career-best 14.8 points per game and shooting 44.1% from deep, the latter being top-10 in the league. Chicago may want to extend Dosunmu, but if the Pistons feel his shooting leap is real, they have plenty of assets to get him. The New York Knicks have reportedly been interested in Dosunmu, but the asking price is, according to the New York Post, “a lot”.
Gabe Vincent is more of a cost-cutting option, as his expiring $11.5 million could open up even more cap space for the Pistons next summer. But he is also the weakest option I listed here, and by a wide margin.
Alvarado is the cheapest option salary-wise and has a player option for just $4.5 million next season too. He is a quality player who finished sixth in the Sixth-Man of the Year award voting just a few seasons ago, but also flawed. Alvarado is on several team’s radars, but it appears he wants to stay with New Orleans. We will see if the Pelicans feel the same.
Will Jaden Ivey Be Traded?
This question is more of theoretical importance than actual importance, as the writing appears on the wall for Jaden Ivey. The front office is not going to give him a significant extension, if they offer him one at all, and his value around the league is not particularly high. Disappointing? Yes. Surprising? No.
I said on the latest Palace of Pistons Podcast that I don’t think Ivey will be traded before the deadline. Its a little contrarian, but the Pistons can sign-and-trade Ivey this summer and give him a fresh start while also making a bigger deal than what they could piece together in the next few days. However, it is probably more likely than not that he is in fact dealt.
There is a universe in which Ivey is the perfect slash-and-dash companion to Cunningham, a speed demon who provides ample rim pressure and collapses defenses while taking over some playmaking duties. But that universe is not this one.
This all seems like a lot, but you know what? The days of boring trade deadlines where the Pistons have to sell their scarce assets and keep the rebuilding movement going are over. Stressful? Yes. ButiIt beats the hell out of “analyzing” cutting Joe Harris and Killian Hayes.
Great breakdown of the realisitc options without the usual hype. The MPJ fit makes alot of sense as a win-now move that doesn't gut the roster. I've watched them struggle when Cade gets trapped in the playoffs sims, and having another guy who can actualy create his own shot would change the calculus completely.