Why the Detroit Pistons will have difficulty trading for a star

The Detroit Pistons had around $30 million in cap space to spend this summer, but instead of landing a big free agent, they kicked that space down the road on expiring deals.

The trades for Joe Harris and Monte Morris were not exactly what fans were hoping for this summer, but did maintain the Pistons’ financial flexibility moving forward, and in the case of Morris, give them a veteran at a position of need.

The truth is that due to myriad factors, the Detroit Pistons are never likely to land a star player in free agency, so drafting well and making the right trades are the best ways for them to build a championship roster.

Once it became obvious that a big free agent wasn’t happening for Detroit, fans quickly pivoted to the idea of trading for the star player they need to complement the young core.

But there is one big problem standing in the way.

Why the Detroit Pistons will have difficulty trading for a star

When teams trade a star player, it is generally a sign that they are going in a different direction or want to completely start over. It always takes some combination of cap space, matching contracts and draft capital to get it done.

The big deals we’ve seen lately have revolved mostly around draft capital, so while the Pistons may have plenty of cap space and plenty of movable contracts, they have little else to sweeten the pot in a deal.

This is because they still owe a first-round pick to the New York Knicks (you can see the protections on it here), so their 2029 first-round pick is the earliest one they can trade until the pick they owe the Knicks is conveyed. This also limits Detroit to trading just one first-round pick in a deal.

Please find me the last star who was moved with only one first-round pick involved…I’ll wait.

The Detroit Pistons are not going to be able to land a star player in a trade if they only have one first round pick to add to the pot or are unwilling to include one of their young core players. So if Detroit is going to make a move, one of those things has to change, either by them acquiring another pick they can trade, or by making one of their young players available.

This is likely why the Pistons are so desperate to get back a pick or two in any deal involving Bojan Bogdanovic, as they will eventually need the draft assets if they want to make a splashy trade.

The trade route is the best one for Detroit, but until they add another pick, it’s a route that is going to be challenging.