The Detroit Pistons have the worst record in the NBA currently, so aren’t expected to be buyers at the trade deadline, though you never know with Troy Weaver.
The Pistons have been connected to players like John Collins, though he would not necessarily help their biggest weakness, which is defense at the wing position.
Ideally, the Pistons could find a tough wing defender who can shoot, and if you look around the league, you won’t find another player who fits the mold of what they need better than OG Anunoby of the Toronto Raptors.
Detroit Pistons: Why trade OG Anunoby?
Anunoby is one of the best wing defenders in the league, and has continued to improve on offense, which makes you wonder why in the world the Raptors would even consider trading him.
They have been a big disappointment this season, and some insiders around the league, including Brian Windhorst of ESPN, think the Raptors could pivot to a soft rebuild around Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam, and potentially part ways with one or both of Anunoby and Fred VanVleet, who are both going to be getting big raises soon.
VanVleet has just a player option left on his contract, and Anunoby will soon be extension eligible, so the Raptors have to decide if they want to dump more money into a group that is currently 12th in the Eastern Conference right now, or go in a different direction.
There has been ample speculation about what it might take to land Anunoby, with some reports saying Toronto would want three first-round draft picks, while insiders like Windhorst say they may prioritize young players who fit around Scottie Barnes.
I already came up with one wild hypothetical to land Anunoby in the offseason, but it would require a whole lot of luck for the Detroit Pistons. But would the Pistons have a chance to be players for Anunoby at the deadline? It really depends on a lot of factors.
Detroit Pistons: The future of the Toronto Raptors and OG Anunoby
OG Anunoby is a player who would benefit any team in the NBA, as elite wing defenders who can shoot the 3-ball aren’t easy to come by. Add him to just about any contender and it could make them the favorite to win the title.
But do any of the contenders actually have what it takes to get him? This really depends on what Toronto wants. If they are looking for more of a full-on rebuild around Scottie Barnes, then they would likely look for one young prospect player and a bunch of draft picks, in which case the Detroit Pistons are immediately out, as they don’t have the picks to trade.
This type of package would give teams like the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans the advantage, as they not only have young players and expiring contracts, but have heaps of draft picks that they could offer Toronto.
The Grizzlies have a guy like Ziaire Williams to go along with picks and the Pelicans could potentially offer someone like Trey Murphy III (not sure they’d give him up) or Herb Jones in a deal supplemented by multiple first-round picks.
If the Raptors prioritize picks, then the Detroit Pistons have no chance, but if they were looking for young talent, Detroit has a couple of guys that could make the Raptors younger and help speed up their rebuild.
The question is whether it would be enough and if the Pistons would really make this type of move.
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.