Another day, another proposal suggesting the Detroit Pistons trade for Lauri Markkanen.
What’s new?
I don’t know if any opposing player has gotten as much attention from Pistons fans as Markkanen, who has long been seen as the perfect complement to Cade Cunningham.
Markkanen is the prototype of the modern four in many ways, as he’s a seven-footer and an accurate high-volume 3-point shooter who can rebound. He’s easy to envision on just about any team, including the Pistons, who have long been looking for a stretch big of their own.
Combine that with Tobias Harris being on an expiring contract, and I am sure we are going to hear plenty of Markkanen to the Pistons rumors over the coming months.
The most recent came from Bleacher Report, who suggested adding Markkanen with this trade would immediately make the Pistons contenders for a title:
Markkanen is certainly an upgrade over Harris, and the idea of his floor spreading next to Cade, Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren is an appealing proposition.
Markkanen would represent the big swing for a second star that some feel the Pistons need to make, but he also comes with considerable risk and violates a couple of key tenets Trajan Langdon has held to in his short tenure as Pistons team president.
Lauri Markkanen is a suspect defender and is always hurt
Tobias Harris isn’t an elite defender by any stretch of the imagination, but he works on that end and held his own in a tough matchup against Karl-Anthony Towns in the playoffs. The Pistons definitely could have used more size against the Knicks, but are we sure Markkanen would have done any better?
Markkanen is not a great defender, and even though he is a seven-footer, he’s averaged fewer blocks per game over his career than Tobias Harris.
Markkanen’s defense is a concern, though you could argue he makes up for it by creating big mismatches on the other end.
Even if you can live with Markkanen’s defense, his biggest red flag is that he misses a lot of games, a trait Trajan Langdon has specifically avoided after learning some painful lessons in New Orleans.
Markkanen has only played 65 or more games twice in his career, so he hasn’t even been eligible for postseason awards by the current rules in most seasons. He played just 47 games last season and 55 the year before that. You can put some of it on the tanking Jazz, who may have held him out unnecessarily, but it’s a huge concern.
Especially considering he is making between $46-53 million through the 2028-29 season, a hefty investment in a guy who misses a ton of games.
You then have the loss of Ron Holland II, who played a meaningful role on a playoff team as a teenager. Markkanen might give you a chance to go for it now, but Holland is under team control at a fraction of Markkanen’s salary.
He may never be the scorer Markkanen is, but he’s already a better defender and could make a huge leap this season. In two more years, Holland will still be making $11 million, while Markkanen will make more than four times that.
Holland played 81 games last season, far more than Markkanen ever has, as he’s never even reached 70 games in his career.
On paper, Markkanen could push the Pistons into title contention, but he’s a huge risk, huge investment, and I may be Homer #1, but I’m excited for what Ron Holland can be and am not ready to give up his potential, versatility, defense and team-friendly salary.
The biggest mistake a team can make under the new tax rules is giving an injury-prone player a long-term contract, so this would be a big roll of the dice for Trajan Langdon and the Pistons.