Detroit Pistons 2023 trade deadline: Latest trade rumors, buzz

There was a flurry of moves in the late hours before the NBA trade deadline, but none of them involved the Detroit Pistons, at least not directly.

The Lakers finally made a trade, acquiring three players in exchange for Russell Westbrook and one of their much-hyped first-round picks. This potentially removes one of the suitors for Bojan Bogdanovic, who the Lakers were reportedly asking about again last night before swinging their deal. They still have another first-round pick in 2029, so until the deadline passes, you can’t rule them out.

But the big news of the night was that Kevin Durant was traded to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for a massive haul of players and picks that somehow wasn’t as good as the one Utah got for Rudy Gobert. It’s safe to say that Brooklyn isn’t going to be winning any “executive of the year” awards any time soon, as they went from having James Harden, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant to having none of them in the space of little over a year, with all demanding trades to get out. Ouch.

The Durant move could cause a wave of desperation in the Western Conference, which is now even more loaded, so don’t rule out a late Bogdanovic or Alec Burks trade today. Teams are also less likely to be hoarding picks for a potential Durant trade in the offseason.

But for their part, the Detroit Pistons are not changing their stance that it will take a big deal to part with Bogdanovic, so for now, the sharpshooter seems poised to stay with the Pistons, who hope to “be great next year.”

But even with Bogdanovic off the table (for now), it’s still likely that the Detroit Pistons make a move today, and it seems as though they’ve been sniffing around some potential deals. But let’s start with the most likely one.

Detroit Pistons: Nerlens Noel is done in Detroit

The most likely player to get moved from Detroit is Nerlens Noel, though after the way he looked last night in three minutes, I’m not sure the Pistons could get a bag of deflated basketballs for him.

There have reportedly been at least six teams inquiring about Noel, but they may decide to just wait it out, as he may be washed. I initially thought Noel was not part of the Pistons’ rotation because they were trying to get and keep him healthy to trade him at some point, but I am now wondering if he just wasn’t good enough to play.

They may be able to squeeze a second-round pick or expiring contract for him, but it’s also possible that he’ll just be bought out, in which case he can sign with anyone. Matisse Thybulle is one possibility to keep an eye on in Philly if the Pistons do move him, but whether he is traded or bought out, he’s likely played his last game in Detroit.

There also appear to have been some near misses for the Pistons on the trade market last night.