Should Detroit Pistons pony up for Kyrie Irving?
The Kyrie Irving to Detroit Pistons trade rumors have picked up steam of late. Now it’s time to hear from the fans. Should the Pistons pony up for Irving?
The Detroit Pistons have been searching for a star. They might eventually have one in Andre Drummond, but they could secure one now, potentially, if they were to sell most of their assets, with Kyrie Irving on the trade block.
The question is whether Irving is the right star, and if the asking price is too much.
Presumably, the asking price would be some combination of Stanley Johnson, Luke Kennard, Andre Drummond, Reggie Jackson, and draft picks.
ESPN speculated a trade of Drummond, Johnson, Jackson, and picks, in exchange for Irving and Tristan Thompson.
While all this remains hypothetical, this sort of package would significantly tap Detroit’s resources, that is, developmental players, rotational players, and future players.
All of this for a star with two seasons left on his contract, who is noncommittal moving forward.
That’s a tough sell to a team that believes it has the right nucleus to be an elite defensive team, and is young enough that it could potentially form a formidable team in the East in a few seasons.
However, a back court of Irving and Avery Bradley would be good building blocks for the Pistons moving forward, and Thompson wouldn’t need many touches to be effective in the post, should he be included in the deal.
Plus, Irving and Bradley, might be able to attract additional talent to Detroit should the team be competitive. I would surmise that Irving’s presence would at least be enough to lock in Bradley after this season, which would give the team two years to develop a strategy to build around the two guards.
Ultimately, a move like this would be a huge boom/bust for the team, but with the NBA landscape like it is, many teams might consider taking calculated risks such as this, in an effort to try to compete with the likes of teams like the Golden State Warriors.
I wouldn’t blame the Pistons for making a move like this. I also wouldn’t blame them for standing pat and seeing where this team could go over the next two or three seasons. If it were up to me, I would probably leave the team as-is, and reevaluate at the trade deadline, that is, unless an Irving deal could be had for even less (highly unlikely).
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That’s my take. What’s yours?