Pistons are losing but Cade Cunningham is what matters

The Detroit Pistons are losing but that doesn’t mean they should lose sight of what matters most this season, which is the rise of Cade Cunningham.

The Pistons have lost nine in a row and have the worst record in the league, and whenever that happens, the trade rumors are going to fly.

I understand, as it is hard to be patient after waiting so many years, but patience, my friends, is what the job requires right now.

Let’s start with the fact that the Pistons don’t have many players other teams would want. Yes, we could trade Josh Jackson in a low stakes move, and if the Pistons wanted to move Jerami Grant, there would be takers, though I think the return would be far lower than fans want to admit.

Cade Cunningham isn’t going anywhere, which leaves who exactly? Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart? Cory freaking Joseph? Saben Lee? What makes you think guys who are playing poorly are on other teams’ wish lists?

Unless the Pistons find the right deal for Grant, a big trade is not happening, sorry.

What’s more, there is absolutely no reason to do it.

Cade Cunnningam is going to be a star for the Detroit Pistons

The first step of any rebuild is to identify and acquire a star and the Pistons appear to have done that with Cade Cunningham.

From there, it’s all about clearing the books and finding the right pieces. The cap sheet will be nearly clean by next offseason, the Pistons will have money to spend, and they don’t currently have any bad contracts.

The next step is to get another star, either through the draft, free agency or trade and the Pistons can do that next offseason by adding another top draft pick and a younger free agent.

Then it’s all about complementing the stars and taking positive steps each season until they are contenders.

I know this sounds like a long, boring process, but that’s what it is going to take. The Pistons aren’t going to magically be able to transform their garbage into a good player, and there is no sense in blowing up a team that doesn’t have any bad contracts or prohibitive long-term deals. It’s going to blow itself up soon enough.

I know it is not sexy but the truth is the Detroit Pistons just need to play out this season, see what they can possibly get for Jerami Grant, and if that return isn’t worth it, re-sign the guy to stay in Detroit as the third piece.

The last thing the Pistons want to do is to make a risky move to satisfy impatient fans, as that is what got them in this mess to begin with.

I’ve had so many ridiculous fake trades thrown my way in the last few days (Thanks Pacers!) and most of them were moves that wouldn’t move the needle at all and would saddle the Pistons with bad contracts that extend past next season. Pass.

The only thing that matters this season is the development of Cade Cunningham, and to a lesser extent, Killian Hayes, Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart. This is what fans said they wanted and now they have it, so sit back and enjoy watching a superstar grow and forget about the losing.