Detroit Pistons: Potential offseason trade with the Nets

The Detroit Pistons have some cap space to use this summer and could spend it in a number of ways.

There are a couple of high-end free agents out there, and if the Pistons could land a guy like Deandre Ayton or Zach LaVine, most of the fan base would be dancing in the streets.

But the top-end guys are unlikely to end up in Detroit, so Troy Weaver might have to get a little more creative.

That could include making a trade where the Pistons use their cap space to offer payroll relief to a team trying to either get out of the tax or clear space to make a move.

There are several teams out there with guys the Pistons might target in a trade:

• Here’s one trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves
• The Bulls have one interesting trade target among six players who could hit the market
• The Hawks have a shooter the Pistons could try to trade for

Another team to watch out for is the Brooklyn Nets, who have as many as eight players potentially hitting the market this offseason, including a guy who definitely fills a need for the Detroit Pistons.

The Detroit Pistons and the Brooklyn Nets are a possible trade match

The Nets were the NBA’s most disappointing team this season, as they started with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, eventually made a trade for Ben Simmons (who didn’t play) and got unceremoniously swept in the first round of the playoffs after entering the season with title aspirations.

They are an old team with very little young talent and a top-heavy payroll that has $129 million tied up in just four players (assuming Kyrie doesn’t fall off the flat Earth) and have only six players under contract for next season (both Irving and Patty Mills have player options).

They are going to need to add some depth but have few ways to do it outside of making a trade to clear some cap space.

The contract they’d probably like to get off (other than Kyrie Irving’s) is that of Joe Harris, who played just 14 games this season and is set to make $18.6 million next year.

When healthy, Harris might be the best shooter in the entire NBA, but if the Nets could get a cheaper replacement (or just dump his salary), they might be able to add more depth.

The Detroit Pistons have a player or two they could send back for Harris, or the cap space to absorb his contract outright and allow the Nets to save a big chunk of money to use to improve their depth.

They also have a desperate need for shooting around Cade Cunningham, so a guy like Harris makes a lot of sense.

But what would a trade for Joe Harris look like?