NBA Awards: How the All-NBA team could affect the Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons are eight games away from the end of another disappointing season where lottery odds were more important than the playoff standings.

The Pistons have the league’s worst record and fans are praying to the lottery gods that it leads to the #1 pick, otherwise, there won’t be many positives to take away from a fairly miserable season.

Troy Weaver has talked about the team “being great next year” but he has a lot of work to do to make that happen, as simply adding a healthy Cade Cunningham and a lottery pick (unless it’s Victor Wembanyama) to this roster is not likely to be enough to make them competitive.

They will also need to use their cap space wisely, as they want to add talent without hampering their ability to make future moves, as the free-agent class of 2023 is not star-studded and could lead to an overpay if they choose the wrong guy.

The Detroit Pistons could also use that cap space and one or more of their assets to make a trade, but again, long-term financial flexibility has to be taken into account.

Count me as someone who would rather see the Pistons wait until free agency 2024 than overpay a role player, as there are some legit stars that could be available depending on a number of factors.

Detroit Pistons: The All-NBA team and Jaylen Brown

One of those possible free agents is Celtics’ forward Jaylen Brown, who would be a perfect addition to the Detroit Pistons, will still be in the prime of his career and could be an unrestricted free agent after next season.

There are lots of issues with Brown, the first being that he could just re-sign with the Celtics, who will able to offer him more money. There is also no guarantee (or even indication) that Brown would want to come to Detroit even if he did hit the open market.

But the Celtics also have a new max deal for Jayson Tatum on the horizon and if they get the feeling that they won’t be able to afford Brown (or that he doesn’t want to stay), they could trade him for a haul.

One thing that could make this drama even more intriguing is if Brown makes the All-NBA team, as it would substantially raise his maximum potential salary for his next deal:

Making the All-NBA team and raising his potential max to $287 million could potentially force the Celtics’ hand and make it more likely that they try to deal him, especially if they fail to make the NBA Finals this season.

Again, this doesn’t mean the Detroit Pistons would be in contention to trade for him, as they may not have the assets to do it, but it may make it more likely that Brown hits the open market or becomes available.

If the Detroit Pistons were to get the #2 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and don’t think Scoot Henderson is the right fit, we could see them try to swing a deal, and an asset like that might be able to land them the star wing they need.

There won’t be any Pistons on the All-NBA team after this season, but it could have an affect on their future.