Detroit Pistons: Possible 3-team trade for Damian Lillard
The Trail Blazers have expressed that they are not interested in taking on the 4 year/$120 million extension owed to Tyler Herro, which takes the Heat’s best trade asset off the board unless a third team gets involved.
Would the Detroit Pistons be up for taking on that deal? And what might they have to give up to get it?
This is just spitballing, but here is the framework of a trade that would at least give you an idea of how it could work:
So in this deal, Miami gets Dame and Bojan, two guys who would help them get back to the NBA Finals right away and maximize the Butler/Adebayo window. They’d be giving up pretty much all of their young players and two future 1st rounders to do it, though they’d at least be getting off Duncan Robinson’s contract.
This might not be the deal the Trail Blazers are hoping for, but given their lack of leverage, two young players, a big expiring contract and three first round picks is probably as good as they are going to do.
As for the Pistons, they trade away Bogdanovic and a future first-round pick for the 23-year-old Herro, who is under contract for four more years guaranteed.
There may have to be a fourth team to get the Blazers the assets they covet, but this is an idea of how the Detroit Pistons could get involved. Would they need to give up more? Throw in Alec Burks? Perhaps, but a deal like this, or close, could probably work.
But would Detroit even want it?