The Detroit Pistons need to take a page out of the Minnesota Timberwolves' book. Or, more aptly, Cade Cunningham needs the Pistons to take a page out of their book. For years, the Wolves have been completely unafraid to shake things up in hopes of giving Anthony Edwards the best-possible chance of winning a championship. That’s the approach the Pistons need to take for Cunningham’s sake.
Detroit was just the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, but it didn’t make a ton of massive moves this summer. Some smaller additions could pan out, but the Pistons didn’t do anything crazy. Meanwhile, the Wolves have been making massive changes over and over again throughout the course of Edwards’ tenure, and they’ve been rewarded with multiple Western Conference Finals births. But even that’s not enough for them.
If the Pistons want to win a championship with Cunningham leading the way, they need to take the same approach that the Wolves have taken with Edwards at the helm.
Cade Cunningham needs Pistons to copy Timberwolves' trading strategy
When Edwards first got to the Timberwolves, it was him and Karl-Anthony Towns. That was the duo the Wolves were working with. That was Edwards’ co-star.
Within his first two years in Minnesota, the Timberwolves made a massive trade. They shipped out a bunch of players and even more picks to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Rudy Gobert.
Not long after that, after the Wolves decided that the team wasn’t good enough, they traded Towns, who had been their franchise centerpiece for nearly a decade at that point.
They moved him to the New York Knicks and got back Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. That team then went on to make the WCF as well.
But after getting bounced in the second round this past year, the Wolves made another huge trade. They traded Naz Reid in a package, getting back LaMelo Ball from the Charlotte Hornets.
Year after year, trade after trade, the Wolves have been wholly unafraid of shaking things up in order to give Edwards the best possible chance to compete for a championship in Minnesota.
That’s the mindset the Pistons need to have with Cunningham. He’s one of the best players in the world, and he needs a great team around him. The Pistons cannot be afraid to trade.
If it doesn’t work out with Jalen Duren as the No. 2, consider shaking things up. If they need more help, consolidate pieces and attach picks. The Pistons need to go for it. And they need to copy the Wolves’ approach.
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