The Detroit Pistons are hopefully at the point of their rebuild when they stop trying to acquire high draft picks and start trying to make the playoffs.
With new head coach Monty Williams and an impressive coaching staff in place, Detroit could be ready to make that pivot towards being competitive.
Troy Weaver probably isn’t going to go “all-in” this summer, as the team is not quite there, but he will definitely try to add some impact talent in free agency and trades and use the #5 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft to either land another young talent or as a piece in a trade.
There is one name floating around the trade rumor mill that is generating some amount of buzz even though it seems like a long shot that he’ll be moved.
The super high risk, high reward trade for the Pistons
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (SUBSCRIPTION), the New Orleans Pelicans are considering trading Zion Williamson and are targeting draft prospect Scoot Henderson, who was reportedly very impressive in recent workouts.
I can hear the groans from here.
Zion definitely hasn’t enamored himself to fans and basketball junkies since being drafted #1 overall, as he has flashed otherworldly talent at times but barely played. After another offseason filled with off-the-court drama (of the baby mama variety) the Pelicans may have finally had enough of waiting around for their alleged superstar to actually turn into one.
I used to cover the Pels, so I know all of the arguments against Zion Williamson, and exactly how frustrating he can be. I know exactly how many games he’s missed, the physical issues, the immaturity and all of the other red flags that come with one of the most polarizing players in the game.
But I also know the talent.
So bear with me for a minute while we consider whether the Detroit Pistons should have any interest in trading for the league’s most frustrating player.
Detroit Pistons: Trading for Zion Williamson
Firstly, I am dubious that the Pelicans really want to trade Zion Williamson, as to do so would be to give up on a guy before he’s really done anything and they’ve already invested quite a lot in him in terms of money, effort and time.
However, they did just fire his favorite coach Teresa Weatherspoon and he just had a closed door meeting with team president David Griffin, which could be something, or could not.
Also, his value is likely at an all-time low, so if they really want to move him, it would be smart to wait until he was healthy and playing well, though if he was healthy, they probably wouldn’t want to trade him, as Zion is a top-10 player in the NBA when firing on all cylinders.
Secondly, they may only be interested in Scoot Henderson, whose skillset would fit in nicely with CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram, giving the Pelicans a team that could still make the playoffs and compete even without Zion.
But in this hypothetical, the Pels are willing to take a risk on another dynamic guard while improving their draft station and cutting a ton of money:
In this trade, the Pistons and Pelicans swap picks, bringing New Orleans up to five and knocking Detroit to the back end of the lottery. The Pistons take Zion Williamson off their hands and the Pelicans get their dynamic guard in Jaden Ivey as well as a ton of cap space.
I don’t think this is anywhere near a no-brainer for either team, as Zion is a generational, face-of-the-league talent when healthy and this would be selling low for New Orleans. And for Detroit? This would be a super high-risk trade that could potentially lose someone their job if it didn’t work out.
But if it did? The rewards would be huge for the Detroit 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.