Detroit Pistons: What would it take to trade for OG Anunoby?

Detroit Pistons: Bold trade for OG Anunoby

If the Raptors decided to go for young players instead of draft picks, then the Pistons might be able to get involved, though a deal like this seems like a long shot for both teams.

I can hear fans of both teams furiously clacking their keyboards in protest already, but bear with me for a minute.

The first question is whether this would be enough to land Anunoby. Ivey is a top-5 pick and has shown a lot of promise. He’s an exciting young player under team control for at least another three seasons after this one and would lighten the blow of potentially trading Fred VanVleet.

Ivey and Barnes are a nice starting point for a rebuild, though the Raptors would potentially want a first-round pick as well. If the Pistons had one to give, this would make Toronto’s choice a lot more difficult. If the Pistons were to land one in a trade for Bojan Bogdanovic, it could give them more ammo, but then you are potentially looking at an overpay for a guy who has yet to make an All-Star team and may not.

The second question is whether the Detroit Pistons would have any interest in dealing Ivey this early, as we haven’t even really gotten to see what he can be with Cade Cunningham. Anunoby is also due for a big pay raise soon, so they’d have to be comfortable offering him a max deal, which is what it will take to retain him with an extension. Is a Cade/Anunoby duo better than Cade/Ivey? I’m not so sure.

It would be a big risk either way for both teams, which is why this is very unlikely to happen, especially before the Pistons know where they are choosing in the draft, as they may be able to find an Anunoby-type wing if they fall out of the top-2 in the 2023 NBA Draft.

This is a long way of saying it’s not going to happen, but it’s interesting fodder for discussion, as the Detroit Pistons have six young players who will all be due for extensions and raises over the next several seasons and may have to look to deal one or more of them to find a better fit.