The super high risk, high reward trade for the Pistons

The super high risk, high reward trade for the Pistons

Because I know half of you are screaming “NOOOOOO!” and making some kind of lame fat joke, let me quickly summarize the very obvious reasons why the Detroit Pistons should not do a trade like this:

• Zion Williamson is injury prone.
• He’s entering the first year of a max contract that will pay him $44 million in 2027-28.
• Zion’s work ethic is questionable, as is his maturity, which doesn’t fit the culture Detroit is trying to build.
• Jaden Ivey is a very good young prospect who does fit that culture.
• That #5 pick could end up being a very good player also.

The reasons to say no are easy, but they are also easy to debate.

• Joel Embiid was injury prone and barely played in his first three seasons. He just won the MVP. Zion has that level of talent. Other than Cade Cunningham (arguable), the Pistons don’t have anyone with that kind of ceiling. Just about every team that has won a title in the last decade had a top-5 player on it. If you don’t have one, you are likely not winning a championship. If that is all that really matters in our ring obsessed culture, than making big, risky moves is actually smart, especially for a team that has trouble drawing free agents.
• The Pistons have the cap space and there isn’t another free agent or player available in a trade that is as good as Zion. Keep in mind that when he was healthy, Zion had his team as the #1 seed in the Western Conference and was a legit MVP candidate this past season. He’s already locked into a deal, so yes, it’s a risk, but considering he signed it before the next rise in the cap that is coming soon, this deal will actually be pretty average. If he’s healthy, it’s a bargain. The Pistons would potentially be getting the prime years of an All-NBA talent.
• Zion is 22-years-old, of course he’s immature. What better coach to get the most out of him than Monty Williams, a respected veteran coach who would immediately have his attention?
• I love Jaden Ivey. But his ceiling is not an MVP and Zion’s is. Zion is also just a year older than Ivey, so still a very young player with a ton of room to grow both physically and mentally.
• The Pistons would still have a lottery pick and the difference in talent level between five and 14 might not be that high in this draft.

There is no doubt that this would be a super risky move for the Detroit Pistons and one they could regret, but there is also no doubt that a healthy Zion next to Cade Cunningham immediately makes this team a playoff contender and raises the ceiling of what they can be.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think this is going to happen, but it would be an outside-the-box way for the Pistons to land a superstar and the rewards could be huge. I can definitely see both sides of the debate on Zion, but eventually he’s going to put it all together and be first-team All NBA, the only questions are when and whether it will happen more than once.