Pistons: Suns and Bucks have shown the way to the Finals for Detroit
Detroit Pistons: Making the big trade at the right time
So the Suns and Bucks had their two stars and role players assembled, but now they just needed the right trade to bring it all together.
Timing is crucial in this type of move, as many teams do it too soon or too late, often with disastrous results. The Pistons tried this with Blake Griffin, a move that came far too early or too late, depending on your point of view. The Pistons tried to skip the first steps and jump straight to the last one and we saw how it worked out.
The Suns made the move for Chris Paul, who turned out to be exactly what they needed, as they lacked a vocal leader and a guy to run the offense and allow Booker and Ayton to work off the ball.
The Bucks made the big trade for Jrue Bledsoe, whose perimeter defense and timely shooting added whole new elements to their defense and offense.
The Pistons aren’t there yet, but could be within the next few seasons, as they already have the role players, the secondary star and are hopefully getting their superstar in this draft.
In another year the Detroit Pistons will be primed to add a big name via trade or free agency, which will hopefully complete their rebuild and put them in a position to compete for years to come.
I actually think Detroit’s ascension will come much faster than the Bucks or Suns, but those two teams have provided a blueprint and should give us hope.