Detroit Pistons: The third team in a Damian Lillard trade?

Detroit Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic (44) Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Detroit Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic (44) Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tyler Herro #14 of the Miami Heat reacts in the second half while playing the Detroit Pistons (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Detroit Pistons: Possible 3-team trade for Damian Lillard

Tyler Herro, former 6th Man of the Year, is a proven 20 points per game scorer who also adds over five rebounds and four assists, so he’s not just a shooter who stands in the corner.

He’s a proven playoff performer who has stepped up in the big moments and already has high-level experience even though he is just 23-years-old. He would replace Bogdanovic’s high-volume 3-point shooting while adding more as a playmaker and rebounder.

Neither of them are good defenders, so that is a wash, but Herro has shown improvement and was a part of one of the league’s best team defenses over the last several years.

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Herro is undoubtedly good, but is he a fit for the Detroit Pistons?

It’s unlikely Herro would expect to come off the bench for Detroit, so he’d either have to be inserted into the starting five as a wing or someone else would have to hit the bench:

  • Cade Cunningham
  • Jaden Ivey
  • Tyler Herro
  • Isaiah Stewart
  • Jalen Duren

This would give the Pistons three playmakers and more shooting with Stewart and Duren holding down the front court.

But you can also imagine small-ball lineups like this:

  • Cade Cunningham
  • Jaden Ivey
  • Tyler Herro
  • Ausar Thompson
  • Isaiah Stewart

You could also bring Ivey or Herro off the bench and go with a more traditional starting five with one of the league’s best 6th men coming in to play big minutes:

  • Cade Cunningham
  • Jaden Ivey/Tyler Herro
  • Ausar Thompson
  • Isaiah Stewart
  • Jalen Duren

As good as Herro is, and as much as I’d love to see another young, talented player in Detroit, his fit with this team is not crystal clear, especially if you view Jaden Ivey as the long-term solution at the two-guard spot.

A lineup of Cunningham, Herro, Thompson, Stewart and Duren with Ivey coming off the bench is also a possibility with some appeal.

It takes some imagination to see how this works, but the Detroit Pistons are definitely a team to watch when it comes to the Damian Lillard trade.

Next. How the Pistons can use expiring deals to land this star. dark