Detroit Pistons: One NBA Draft trade with every team in the Central

Detroit Pistons: 2022 NBA Draft trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers

The Detroit Pistons are hoping to become next year’s Cavaliers by making a big leap from the cellar into the play-in.

They are also building a rivalry with the Cavs, so it’s hard to see these two teams wanting to help each other, but remember, these are hypotheticals for a reason.

Why Cleveland would do it: The Cavaliers get a better, younger and cheaper player who would give them one of the most versatile and smothering defenses in the NBA. Grant would help the Cavs build on what made them good this season, which was a defense that was able to switch on just about anyone. Grant would also be another guy who can get his own shot, giving them a more dynamic offensive option than Love, who is mostly a 3-point shooter at this stage of his career. This move would protect the Cavaliers from the possible loss of Collin Sexton and would free up nearly $9 million in cap space to make additional moves.

Why Detroit would do it: The Pistons would get a second lottery pick to go along with Kevin Love, who would give them a boost of shooting off the bench. Detroit could then take the best player available with their 5th pick and not worry about finding Grant’s replacement, as they’d have a short-term solution in Love, who would be off the books after this season. Love isn’t as good as Grant overall, but he might be a better fit as a guy who can spread the floor with his shooting. The Pistons could then grab a big man like Mark Williams at center or take a flyer on a possible sleeper like Tari Eason.