Detroit Pistons: Is Donovan Mitchell going to hit the trade market?

The Detroit Pistons will be looking for any way to add a star around Cade Cunningham this offseason.

They have the cap space to add a free agent, but the crop is thin and the Detroit Pistons don’t want to have to overpay for a guy who isn’t a star.

The Pistons could also use that cap space to facilitate a trade, especially if a star player hits the market.

That just might happen, as the recent unexpected departure of coach Quin Snyder has left one of Utah’s stars unhappy.

Donovan Mitchell, who is close with Snyder and cites him as one of the reasons he signed long-term with Utah, said he was both “surprised and disappointed” by the news of Snyder quitting, according to ESPN.

He was said to be “unsettled, unnerved and wondering what it means for the franchise’s future,” which does not sound like a guy who is particularly happy with his team.

Utah already had some rumblings of discontent when Rudy Gobert reportedly made the team an ultimatum. With two unhappy stars, Utah may decide to send one of them packing, though Gobert seems like the more likely option.

If Donovan Mitchell does hit the trade market, he’s a fit with the Detroit Pistons, who need a scorer and upgrade at the two guard, but does Detroit even have enough to trade for him?

Detroit Pistons: Trading for Donovan Mitchell

First off, the Jazz are likely to let Mitchell hand-pick a coach this offseason or at least give him significant say in the final decision. However, if they don’t, and they end up hiring a guy who Mitchell isn’t all-in on, he could be one of the stars to demand a trade.

If so, the Detroit Pistons would almost certainly be interested as a team that would love to add a star around Cade Cunningham and has a big talent gap in the two-guard spot. This would be un-doing one of the Pistons’ biggest draft mistakes, when they passed on Mitchell to draft Luke “freaking” Kennard (as he is known around my house).

But let’s face it, if Mitchell is moved, it is going to be for a king’s ransom and the Detroit Pistons probably don’t have what it takes to get him unless they were to offer up Cade Cunningham, which is not going to happen.

Any deal would have to include this year’s 5th pick, but then what? Saddiq Bey? Killian Hayes? The Pistons don’t have future draft picks to trade at this point, and Utah isn’t going to want to completely rebuild, so it’s hard to see any possible deal the Pistons could make to land Mitchell.

As enticing as it is, Utah is probably going to do what it takes to keep Mitchell (at least for now) but even if he does hit the market, the Detroit Pistons probably don’t have the assets to get him at this point.