The Detroit Pistons will be looking for offseason upgrades any way they can get them, whether it is through the 2022 NBA Draft, free agency or trades.
The recently-eliminated Utah Jazz are a team that will have several players potentially hitting the market, through none of their free agents are top-end guys.
That list might be getting bigger, as a recent rumor about Rudy Gobert has the NBA world buzzing:
I know I am not usually @utahjazz breaking news guy, but a source close to situation has informed me that Rudy Gobert is at "him or me" point with Donovan Mitchell and will demand that one of them be traded in next few days. Doesn't feel they will win championship together.
— Sean O'Connell (@realOCsports) May 2, 2022
The All-NBA center and 3-time Defensive Player of the Year is reportedly getting impatient with the pairing with Donovan Mitchell and may want out.
Of course, this is just a rumor and these kinds of “sources” are wrong all of the time, so this is certainly not a guarantee that Utah breaks up their team.
But if they do, Gobert is the one likely to be shipped out, as Mitchell is younger and considerably cheaper than Gobert and probably easier to build around.
So if Gobert is on the market, should the Detroit Pistons be interested?
Detroit Pistons: Many ways to use cap space
As we’ve discussed many times, the Detroit Pistons will have some amount of cap space to spend the summer and could use it to try and nab a free agent.
But they could also use it to absorb a contract in a trade where they didn’t send back equal money. They also have Jerami Grant’s expiring contract to potentially send back in any big trade, and he’s a guy the Utah Jazz were connected to briefly at the trade deadline.
Trading for Gobert is possible but not easy, as the Pistons might have the players and contracts, but Utah would almost certainly want draft compensation as well, which the Pistons don’t have until they convey the pick they owe to OKC, which may not happen for several seasons.
The only leverage the Pistons would have is that they are one of the few teams with cap space who would be able to take on Gobert’s contract without sending bad/equal money back.
So, just for the sake of argument, let’s assume the Pistons could swing a deal for Gobert that somehow didn’t include a draft pick, Cade Cunningham or Saddiq Bey, which I think is extremely unlikely, is he even a guy they should pursue?
Rudy Gobert rumor: Should the Detroit Pistons pursue? Yes!
On paper, Gobert would fill several immediate needs and raise the Detroit Pistons’ ceiling as a franchise.
He’s an elite rim protector, one of the best defenders in the NBA, would improve their rebounding dramatically and give Cade someone to lob and dump the ball off to in the paint.
Gobert averaged 15.6 points, 14.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks this season, leading Utah to a top-10 defense even though most of their roster is made up of scorers and slashers who aren’t great defenders.
If the Pistons only had to give up Jerami Grant and Kelly Olynyk (HIGH UNLIKELY ALERT) it would be a no-brainer. Consider this starting five:
- Cade Cunningham
- Killian Hayes/Jaden Ivey
- Saddiq Bey
- Paolo Banchero/Jabari Smith/Chet Holmgren
- Rudy Gobert
He’s an All-NBA talent who is only 29-years-old and fills a position of need. He should be an elite defensive player for the duration of his contract, plays hard, wants to win and would make the Pistons into a play-in if not playoff contender right away, especially if they can land a top-4 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Of course, the Jazz would likely want that pick, which is why this whole thing sounds a little nutty.
Rudy Gobert to the Detroit Pistons? Are you nuts?
Aside from the fact that the Detroit Pistons probably don’t have the assets to get Gobert, he is not the type of guy they should be going after at this stage in the rebuild.
Yes, he would be a short-term improvement, but he makes $38 million next season, which escalates to $46 million by the 2025-26 season, in which he’ll be 33-years-old. You’d essentially be pairing Cade Cunningham’s entire rookie contract plus the first year of his extension with a guy who is nearly ten years older.
Not only that, but Gobert is already on a super max, so the Pistons would be paying a premium for his less-than-prime years, which is not smart for a team that is not a title contender.
If Gobert were the same age as Deandre Ayton, this would make more sense. I hate to use the word “timeline” because teams need both veterans and young guys to compete, but pushing in the chips for a guy like Gobert seems like it might be leapfrogging a step or two.
There is also a question about how playable Gobert is in the playoffs, as teams have targeted him on perimeter switches and some of his weaknesses get more exposed. Of course, losing in the playoffs is a problem the Detroit Pistons would like to have, but there should be big concerns paying that much for a center who is not an MVP candidate.
While the fit is technically there, the lack of assets and long-term commitments are likely to doom this idea from the start.
I’ve already heard a lot of Pistons’ Twitter talking about this possibility, but I just don’t see it.
For more about the offseason, click here.