Detroit Pistons: “Dream” offseason trade target would be huge risk

Detroit Pistons: Trade for Michael Porter Jr.

On the positive side, Michael Porter Jr. is a massive 24-year-old forward who would immediately help the Detroit Pistons’ offense.

He could be slotted into either forward spot and would help spread the floor around Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey, something the Pistons need.

MPJ’s defense has also improved this season and would be a big step up from Bojan Bogdanovic, who really can’t guard anyone on the wing. A core of Cade, Ivey, MPJ, Duren and this year’s draft pick would be a great start and all pretty much on the same timeline, so he is definitely a fit.

HOWEVER

MPJ has two glaring red flags which are the only reasons he would possibly be available in the first place. The first is his contract, which pays him between $33 and 40 million between now and 2026-27, though the final year of his deal is only partially guaranteed. That’s a fair amount of money for a guy who is currently the 3rd or 4th-best player on the Nuggets. He’s a quality scorer, but not an elite defender and he doesn’t rebound particularly well, or make many plays for teammates. Of course, he’s also on a team with Jokic and Jamal Murray, so he’s not asked to. His production has been inconsistent, but he is still young and could have another level.

The second red flag is his injury history. That is a lot of guaranteed money for a guy who has never even played 65 games in a season. Sure, his injury woes could be behind him at this point, and if it worked out, the Pistons would be getting all of his prime years.

But if it didn’t, they’d be stuck paying huge money to a guy who can’t stay on the floor and doesn’t even play 30 minutes per game.

If MPJ didn’t have these red flags, it’s likely he wouldn’t be available, so pursuing him would be a big risk for the Detroit Pistons, who may not be ready to make this kind of “all-in” move for a guy with a sketchy injury past.