The Detroit Pistons haven’t had the offseason some fans were hoping for.
Armed with the 5th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and $30 million in cap space, the Pistons walked away with Ausar Thompson, Joe Harris and Monte Morris, not exactly the prime haul of a dream offseason.
The NBA offseason has come to a bit of a standstill, with plenty of quality free agents still available and guys waiting around to find out their fate in trades. That’s because multiple star players, including Damian Lillard, James Harden and Pascal Siakam have either been heavily involved in trade rumors or requested a trade outright.
The Detroit Pistons are not likely to get involved with any of stars directly, but have been mentioned as a possible third team in the trade for Damian Lillard.
Lillard has put Portland in a bind by saying he only wants to play for Miami, and his agents have been poisoning the idea of him to other teams, saying that they’d be trading for an “unhappy” player.
As we know, superstars always get their way eventually, so expect Lillard to end up in Miami at some point, but since they don’t have a great offer for him, it may take a third or fourth team to get it done. Enter the Detroit Pistons.
Detroit Pistons: The third team in a Damian Lillard trade?
According to insider Chris Haynes on a recent episode of the This League Uncut podcast, the Pistons could emerge as the third team in the Damian Lillard trade.
"“At the end of the day, if they’re able to get something done where Miami gets Dame and Portland gets (stuff) from wherever, whether it’s a few from Miami, some from Brooklyn and another team, possibly Detroit.”"
Obviously, this is just speculation, but Detroit might have the right combination of players and assets to work a deal and land a nice player in the process.