2020 NBA Draft: Should Detroit Pistons try for Boston’s triple play?

The Detroit Pistons have one draft pick, although it is a high one. They also have lots of roster room and salary cap space. The Boston Celtics have three first-rounders, but have neither the cap or roster space for them all. This could be the ingredients for a massive deal between the teams.

Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge is someone you approach warily about a trade. Many have waked away thinking they had just fleeced him, only to discover they were the ones who had been taken.

Two biggest thieveries by Ainge:

2017: He got a first-round draft pick from the Philadelphia 76ers so they could take Markelle Fultz at No. 1. Boston had to settle for getting Jayson Tatum at No. 3.

(Note: The person who pushed the most for the trade in Philly is now the Chicago Bulls GM)

2013: Celtics sending Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry to the Nets for salary cap fodder, three unprotected first-round draft picks plus a pick swap.

The Nets quickly became one of the worst teams in the NBA, and the Celtics feasted on their high draft picks for a while.

However, the NBA Draft is approaching on November 18th,  and there seems to be a perfect fit for the Pistons and Celtics to make a trade.

*Detroit has room for lots of draft picks and plenty of salary cap space. What they do not have is draft picks. All they have is their own first-rounder. It is seventh overall, pretty good, but it is just one.

*Boston just added six first-year players last year, and are staring at Gordon Hayward, with his max contract, plus getting ready to offer a max contract to Tatum. They have the No. 14, 26 and 30th selections in the first round.

You do not need to be a basketball genius to figure an easy and straightforward trade between the Pistons and Celtics.

Boston is looking to make a run at the NBA championship. They do not need developmental players out of this draft, they want someone who will help them get past Miami, Milwaukee or Toronto in the playoffs. It is doubtful they get that kind of player at 14th, their current highest pick.

Detroit is looking at building for the future, not going all-in on this year. They could use help, well, basically everywhere. Netting three first-rounders would help new Pistons GM Troy Weaver in his ‘retooling’.

Also, under the salary cap rules, all draft picks have a $0 monetary value. There is no need to throw in a player you want to keep but would have to trade due to matching salaries. As we all learned in grade school 0-0=0.

Simple trade:

Easy peasy. Both teams benefit.

However, nothing is usually easy dealing with Ainge. As we have stated, the Celtics are in win-now mode. Yes, a 3-for-1 first round swap with Detroit helps them out with roster and salary cap problems. But it but does not vault them into being favorites to win the Eastern Conference.

Adding Derrick Rose to the Boston roster certainly would help.

If Ainge wants to really cash in all his chips (something he has been reluctant to do in the past) and go for broke, he might try for Rose and Blake Griffin. That would cause a seismic shift in the NBA hierarchy.

Here is a look at how a major trade might look involving Rose and the draft picks. And then a massive one that would include the No. 7 pick, Rose and Griffin.