The Detroit Pistons have had a fairly boring offseason, as they added two draft picks and made trades for Joe Harris and Monte Morris. These additions should help, but they hardly grabbed headlines outside of the Motor City.
It’s been a quiet offseason for the league in general for a few reasons. The new CBA has harsher penalties for going over the second luxury tax apron, so teams are being a little tighter with their budgets.
Teams are also waiting around for some big trades and their inevitable fallout, namely Damian Lillard and James Harden, whose imminent trades could drastically change the rosters of many teams around the league.
It’s likely going to take more than one trade partner to get these deals done given the salaries and the demands of the stars involved, but we are finally starting to see some movement which could precede a lot of action.
With things continuing to stall around James Harden, focus has turned to the possible Damian Lillard trade, which could happen soon.
How the Detroit Pistons can cash in on the imminent Damian Lillard trade
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald recently confirmed a report that the Trail Blazers would like to get this deal finished before training camp starts.
This was how it was described tonight by non Heat person who spoke with Portland FO. This is first time I've gotten sense Blazers would like to make deal before camp, if they get what they want. (Big if) Heat obviously still in this despite passive Portland approach with Miami https://t.co/BY18JPuzyR
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) September 22, 2023
They clearly don’t want this lingering into the season, and may have a slew of new players to try and work onto their roster if the trade does happen, so would prefer them to be there when training camp opens.
It’s not guaranteed that team is going to be Miami, as a recent report suggested there was a mystery team in the Eastern Conference making a strong push for a Lillard trade.
No, the Detroit Pistons are not likely the mystery team making a late play for Lillard, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be involved.
How the Detroit Pistons can cash in on the imminent Damian Lillard trade
The Pistons could be a third or fourth team in the Lillard trade
Depending on where the Trail Blazers end up trading Damian Lillard, they may require several other teams to get involved to grease the wheels.
Teams like Miami don’t have the assets that Portland is looking for, so they will likely be seeking out a third (or more) team that has sizeable contracts or assets to fold into the deal.
The Pistons have as many as six expiring contracts next season, so could be a player in this deal if the right return presents itself.
Bojan Bogdanovic could potentially be a nice sweetener to the deal for Miami, who could then send some of their draft assets or one of their young players to Detroit in return.
Expiring contracts are usually a part of any big trade and the Pistons have some useful veterans on expiring deals.
Would Detroit be interested in someone like Tyler Herro, for example? How about Jerami Grant?
That brings me to the next way the Detroit Pistons could get involved, which is sifting through the fallout.
How the Detroit Pistons can cash in on the imminent Damian Lillard trade
The Pistons sifting through the fallout
When the Portland Trail Blazers finally trade Damian Lillard, the focus of the franchise will change for the immediate future.
With Lillard, the playoffs were always the goal, but without him, the Blazers will shift to a rebuild around their young core of players.
They may not want to completely blow it up, in which case, keeping a veteran like Jerami Grant around makes sense, as he could play a similar role as the one he played on a rebuilding Pistons team.
Grant was a player many thought the Pistons would pursue this offseason, as he fits the need for a power forward who can spread the floor and defend. After he got a massive extension from Portland, it looked like the Pistons probably dodged a bullet, but when you look at his deal in context of the new CBA, it doesn’t look so bad.
The deal runs through 2027-28 when Grant will be 33 years old and making just over $36 million per season. It’s not peanuts by any means, but when you look at some of the contracts for comparable players, it’s on par and probably won’t kill whatever team takes it on.
The Blazers also have lower-priced young veterans like Matisse Thybulle they could unload, and the Heat could also look to shed some payroll if they have to take on Lillard.
The trade of Damian Lillard will be the first domino that will likely set off a series of moves, so it will be interesting to see how rosters shuffle with training camp right around the corner.