Detroit Pistons: Trade with the Los Angeles Clippers
At the moment, neither of these teams would do this deal, as Burks and Noel haven’t even played yet and the Clippers would need to see that they are both healthy and ready to contribute.
The Pistons would also like to see what their bench looks like at full strength, as their starters have played pretty well so far but the bench has gotten smoked in the two losses. Killian Hayes will almost certainly benefit from the return of Burks and Bagley III, so it’s far too early to give up on this roster.
Yes, the Pistons do need more shooting, even after adding Bojan Bogdanovic, and the idea of Kennard spreading the floor does have some appeal. But they also need wing defense and Luke Kennard is certainly not going to provide that, in fact, he’s one of the worst wing defenders in the league.
Kennard is a one-trick pony who is very good at his one thing (shooting), but not much good at anything else. Burks is bigger, can defend three positions and is also a guy who can shoot, as he has hit over 40 percent of his 3-point shots over the last two seasons.
Noel hasn’t played yet, but he could definitely help shore up the terrible interior defense, so while the offense might improve marginally with this deal, the defense would almost certainly get worse, which is scary to think about, as it has already been very bad.
The Pistons have team options on Burks and Noel for next season and there is no guarantee that they are going to trade them at all, as they need actual adult basketball players who can defend.
Something like this may be possible later in the season, especially if Burks and Noel don’t make much impact on winning, but for now, this would be a step forward in one area, but a step back in a couple of others.