The Detroit Pistons have gone quiet since making a flurry of moves to start the offseason.
But with a potential logjam at both center and point guard, many believe they still have a trade to make before next season begins.
Part of the reason the NBA offseason has slowed to a halt is that teams are waiting to see how the situations with Damian Lillard and James Harden develop, as there could be several teams interested in being involved in those trades.
It will likely take a third or fourth team to get the Lillard deal to Miami done and teams like the Pistons may be able to reap some benefits from the deal as a secondary player.
Detroit Pistons: Trade rumors going nowhere
The Pistons have also consistently been mentioned as a possible trade partner with the Dallas Mavericks, who are interested in Bojan Bogdanovic, but so far, nothing has materialized, as the Mavericks are reluctant to meet Detroit’s asking price.
But one publication has an idea that would not only put Detroit in every NBA headline, but could get them back to the playoffs as soon as next season.
We’ve written and evaluated our share of trade proposals over the years (a favorite pastime of NBA fans) but this has to be one of the most lopsided I’ve come across. And for once, the Detroit Pistons are the beneficiary.
Proposed trade of Zion Williamson to the Detroit Pistons
Generally speaking, if trade proposals are lopsided, they are not in favor of the Detroit Pistons. Detroit is often treated as an afterthought in these deals, giving away something valuable in return for more long shot hope.
But Bleacher Report finally swung one the Pistons’ way in a lopsided trade proposal that lands them Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans:
In this trade, the Pistons take a low-risk/high-reward gamble on Zion in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic, Killian Hayes, James Wiseman and two first-round picks. The 2026 pick would have top-3 protections, but the Pistons would probably try to expand that to top-10, though hopefully that wouldn’t be a factor.
If I were the Pistons, I would sign this deal and then sprint out of the room before the Pelicans sobered up.
Laughably lopsided trade with Pelicans would be a steal for the Pistons
I know some of you are queuing up your hilarious fat jokes or googling how many games Zion Williamson has played as an argument for why the Pistons wouldn’t or shouldn’t make this trade.
Please.
When healthy, Zion is a top-10 player in the NBA, the type of player that is very difficult for Detroit to land outside of the draft. Yes, he’s been injury prone, and yes, there are some issues with his approach (which is the only reason he would ever be traded) but when it comes to talent, he’s got it.
When rumors first started circulating that the Pelicans might trade Zion Williamson, my thought was that the Pistons should be on the phone finding out what it would take. Approaching the draft, we came up with a few trade ideas for Zion and all of them involved the Pistons giving up WAY more than this.
A 34-year-old Bogdanovic on an expiring deal, two draft busts on expiring deals and two picks? Zion’s trade value may be low right now, but not that low. The Pelicans think they are a team on the cusp of being a contender, so if they were to trade Zion, they’d have to get back a package that could help them win now and still give them future assets.
Bogdanovic could be plugged right into any lineup and would be a nice fit on the Pelicans, but the other two? It’s likely they wouldn’t see the floor, as New Orleans has better players. So they’d be allocating nearly $40 million in cap space next season for three players, two of whom would be bench players at best, the other who is in his mid-30’s and going to be a free agent.
As for the Pistons, if you could get a player of Zion’s caliber without giving up Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren or Ausar Thompson, you do it in a heartbeat every single time. Imagine this starting five
- Cade Cunningham
- Jaden Ivey
- Ausar Thompson
- Zion Williamson
- Jalen Duren
Inject that into my veins! Unfortunately, imagining is all we’ll be able to do, as the Pelicans wouldn’t do this deal in a million years.
I appreciate Bleacher Report showing the Pistons some generosity, but New Orleans would hang up the phone and delete Troy Weaver’s number if he offered this for Zion.