Detroit Pistons: 2 new potential trade targets hit the market

Could the Detroit Pistons trade for D’Angelo Russell?

On paper, D’Angelo Russell is a better fit with the Pistons in terms of age and contract.

He only has one season left at $31 million, so whoever trades for Russell will have a chance to extend him and get most of his prime years.

The question is whether the Pistons would have any interest in doing such a thing. Russell is a good player who averaged 18 points and seven assists this season with a low turnover rate, but he likes having the ball in his hands, which could push Cade Cunningham more off the ball.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as there is plenty of room for two creators who can score and Russell could help take some of the heat off Cunningham.

But what would the Timberwolves want in return?

In this trade, the two teams swap players on expiring contracts, so neither is making a long-term commitment and would get a season to test the fit.

This would make some sense for the Pistons, especially if they were to draft a power forward in the 2022 NBA Draft. They could go into next season with a strong and exciting starting five:

• Cade Cunningham
• D’Angelo Russell
• Saddiq Bey
• Jabari Smith/Chet Holmgren/Paolo Banchero
• Isaiah Stewart

If the Pistons didn’t get one of those top-3 guys, then just keeping Grant makes more sense, as he will likely be cheaper and we know he likes Detroit.

The Timberwolves would get an upgrade at power forward, a boost to their defense and a guy who would be a perfect fit with Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns. They also have a guy in Malik Beasley (another potential trade target for Detroit) who is the same age as Russell, cheaper and could replace most of his production. They’d also be clearing around $11 million in money, so may have to kick in a sweetener to make this palatable for Detroit.

It’s definitely a trade both teams would consider, though they would both need some assurance that the player had some interest in signing an extension. The Pistons have until early August to trade Grant or the team getting him would have to wait until he is a free agent to re-sign him, which lowers his value.

I don’t think either of these players are coming to Detroit, but if they wanted to take a flyer on a talented young guard, Russell makes more sense.