Detroit Pistons: Potential trade fallout from the Damian Lillard trade

The NBA waited all offseason for the Damian Lillard trade and now braces for the fallout, which could have a ripple effect on several teams, including the Detroit Pistons.

The Pistons weren’t involved with the trade, but they will feel the effects in the form of a stronger Central Division with another superstar in it, as well as the loss of a potential trade partner in Milwaukee.

The trade will inevitably lead to more trades, as the Portland Trail Blazers are probably not finished unloading veteran contracts in exchange for cap space and assets as they try to rebuild in the post-Lillard era.

They could certainly keep veterans like Jerami Grant and Jrue Holiday, and if they do, Portland could have a fighting chance at the play-in tournament in the Western Conference. But if they decide to completely tear it down, they’ll have two of the hottest names in the trade rumors.

Detroit Pistons: Jerami Grant likely to hit the trade market

There are already teams inquiring about Jrue Holiday, and I am sure he’ll end up somewhere else, possibly before the season even starts. The Warriors are one possibility, but the Heat and others will be after his services as one of the best two-way guards in the league.

According to Mike Scotto of HoopsHype, Holiday won’t be the only Trail Blazer on the move:

"“Jerami Grant, who becomes trade-eligible on January 15, is expected to become available before the trade deadline, according to rival league NBA executives who spoke with HoopsHype following the Lillard trade.”"

Grant can’t be traded until the middle of January, but if the Trail Blazers are really rebuilding, it makes little sense for them to keep Grant, as he is a big contract and could fetch them some cap space and assets in a trade.

Whether the Detroit Pistons would get involved is another story, as they could use a player of Grant’s skillset and Bojan Bogdanovic is on the last fully guaranteed year of his deal, making him an attractive asset to teams trying to free up cap space.

It would really depend what the Blazers were looking for, as Grant’s contract limits his value somewhat, as he is signed through the 2026-27 season with a player option for 2027-28, making him a long-term financial commitment to whoever takes him on.

If the Blazers were willing to do it for Bogdanovic, Killian Hayes and a slew of second-round picks, the Pistons might be in business, but if they are looking for first-rounders they’ll have to go somewhere else, as Detroit doesn’t have them to trade.

But having seven players on some form of expiring contract could be an advantage for Detroit when these big contracts start to move and we could see them involved in some way.