The Detroit Pistons have important decisions to make by the NBA trade deadline. What are some some potential trades the team could explore?
The Detroit Pistons’ roster is nearly set. The 15th spot headed into the season will likely go to one of Christian Wood or Michael Beasley who are on non-guaranteed contracts. Nevertheless, it is highly likely that the Pistons will make a trade before the trade deadline. Last season, 25 out of the 30 teams in the league were involved in an in-season trade.
The range of outcomes for the Pistons could be wide this season, depending on the overall health of the roster. If everyone stays healthy (and that is a big if), the Pistons could be fighting for the middle seeds in the Eastern Conference. Perhaps the Pistons resemble last year where the team suffers through some injury stretches to rotation players, and they stumble into the eighth seed once again. What if the injury bug strikes Blake Griffin and Reggie Jackson like it has in past seasons and they miss the playoffs entirely? All of these scenarios are reasonably possible.
Regardless, in each situation there could be trade opportunities that fit wherever the team finds itself. Perhaps the team can swing a blockbuster trade to vault themselves into the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference. Or maybe they could look to consolidate a couple of expiring salaries into starting-level player. They could turn their focus to finding a younger point guard replacement for a potential Jackson departure. Or they could finally decide to officially press the reset button on the direction of the franchise.
Ed Stefanski and the Pistons’ front office have done quality work with the limited resources they have had since taking over. Most moves have been on the smaller side and have aimed to improve at the margins. How they decide to handle the upcoming trade deadline will be the biggest test to date.
Let’s explore four potential February trades that I would like to see happen depending on how Detroit’s season has gone to that point.