With the 2023 NBA Draft lurking next week, trade rumors are heating up and the Detroit Pistons are at the heart of many of them.
The main focus is on the Pistons’ 5th pick, which they are reportedly shopping, but whether they are looking for established players or more draft assets is still up in the air.
With teams like the Trail Blazers, Rockets and Mavericks potentially trying to move their picks as well, we could see a wild draft with a whole lot of trades. I am preparing not to sleep much next week.
The New Orleans Pelicans shook things up a few days ago when it was revealed that they may be open to trading oft-injured superstar Zion Williamson for a high draft pick, specifically the 2nd pick so that they could draft Scoot Henderson.
This is all just speculation at this point, as it seems unlikely that the Pelicans would move on from Zion before his extension even kicks in, but they may be getting frustrated by all the missed games and off-the-court drama.
Should the Detroit Pistons pick up the phone? ESPN thinks so.
ESPN proposes Zion Williamson trade to Detroit Pistons
NBA insiders at ESPN came up with some Zion trades they’d like to see (SUBSCRIPTION) which included one for the Detroit Pistons.
I understand all of the caveats, disclaimers and red flags that come with Zion Williamson, as he has only played 114 games in four seasons and has yet to show that he can stay healthy or focused on the game.
The counter-argument for Detroit is that they have limited ways to land a player of his caliber, the upside would be huge and there are some safeguards in place that would protect the Pistons. Zion will be entering the first year of his max extension next season, but the Pelicans were smart enough to put in some clauses that give them an out if he misses too many games.
If it worked out, you have a top-10 player locked up into what will look like a relatively affordable contract once the cap goes up again. There are already players like Bradley Beal making more than Zion will in the final year of his deal. If he plays 60+ games per season, that contract could actually look like a bargain, and if he can’t stay on the floor, the Pistons would have an out clause.
This isn’t as cut and dry as saying “Zion can’t stay healthy,” and moving on. Detroit rarely gets chances to acquire MVP caliber players who are locked into a contract and only 22 years old, so if Zion comes on the market, they’d be foolish not to at least pick up the phone.
Here’s the 3-team deal ESPN came up with and our grade for it.
ESPN proposes Zion Williamson trade to Detroit Pistons
I have to say, ESPN came up with a pretty good one here, as I don’t think any of the three teams would immediately walk away.
In this trade, the Pistons are giving up some of their depth and lose both Bojan Bogdanovic and Isaiah Stewart to go along with the 5th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
The Pels get their haul with Bogdanovic, Stewart and the #2 pick, allowing them to grab Henderson without going into rebuild mode, as they’d also get two players who could help them right now. It seems like a best-case scenario for the Pelicans who add the young potential superstar to replace Zion along with two players who would fit their roster.
Of the other two teams (I’ll get to Detroit in a second), the Hornets seem to be the most likely to walk away from this, as they move back three spots in the draft just to pick up another late lottery pick. They do need more impact talent, but they’d have to believe they could find good players in those spots and that is no given in this draft.
Either of the other two could walk away, but let’s look at the grade from the point of view of the Detroit Pistons.
Grading the trade of Zion Williamson to the Detroit Pistons
If you look at the last 12 NBA champions, all but one of them had a top-5 player on the roster. The only holdout would be the San Antonio Spurs and that is arguable, as they had a young Kawhi Leonard and an all-time great in Tim Duncan to go along with Hall-of-Famers Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.
You need top talent to win a title and the Detroit Pistons have limited ways to acquire it. They are hoping Cade Cunningham can eventually be that guy, but other than him, does Detroit have anyone who will ever be a legit MVP candidate? Questionable.
When he’s healthy, Zion Williamson is a legit MVP candidate, as we saw this past season when he had his team as the #1 seed in the Western Conference while averaging 26 points and seven rebounds on otherworldly efficiency.
Of course Zion is a risk, but for the Detroit Pistons to land an MVP-caliber player, they are going to have to take risks, as their tanking days are over, so it’s not likely they find that player in the NBA Draft.
Of course, you could just argue that they should keep their 5th pick, add more young talent, supplement it with a free agent or two and see what happens and that is certainly a valid train of thought.
The other is that the Pistons would only be giving up Bogdanovic (who is 34-years-old and has one year left on his deal), Isaiah Stewart (a role player, though this one would be tough, I love Beef Stew) and the #5 pick in a weak draft with no projected superstar talent outside of the top two.
The Pistons would still have some additional cap space to sign a free agent and suddenly go from the cellar to a potential playoff team without giving up any of their core guys:
They’d head into the season with a lineup that looked something like this:
- Cade Cunningham
- Jaden Ivey
- Free agent
- Zion Williamson
- Jalen Duren
That’s a team with huge upside, a ton of talent and every guy is 22-years-old or under. Get the right free-agent wing and this is a playoff team right away.
If it works out, the Pistons get a top-10 player for much cheaper than they ever would be able to otherwise and he is only 22! It’s a big risk, but if he gets injured again the Pistons would have some ways out, so it wouldn’t be catastrophic.
You need top players to win championships and this would be one way (albeit a risky one) for Detroit to get one. I may be in the minority here, but if the 5th pick, Bogdanovic and Stewart are the cost, I would take the plunge on Zion, bring huge excitement to Detroit and just pray that like Joel Embiid, Zion gets healthy after some bad injury luck and eventually becomes an MVP.
Grade: B+