The Pistons still need a second creator, and the Thunder may have an extra one, so the two teams could be a match on a future trade for Cason Wallace.
This possibility was discussed on a recent episode of The Game Theory podcast, in which hosts Sam Vecenie and Bryce Simons talked about future extensions for the 2023 draft class, a group that includes both Ausar Thompson and the aforementioned Wallace.
They speculated that it would take two first-round picks to trade for Wallace and that the Pistons would likely have to pay him as much as $30 million a year. I should stress that this was purely hypothetical, and there are obvious challenges involved in reality.
But the Pistons will undoubtedly be looking for that second creator next season at the trade deadline unless someone else steps into that role, as they can’t go into another postseason with Cade Cunningham carrying the team on his back offensively.
The question is whether Wallace could be that guy, because if he wasn’t, this would be a risky trade for the Pistons to make.
Does Cason Wallace have several more levels offensively?
Wallace averaged eight points a game last season, so he’d have to make a sizable leap offensively to justify giving up two first-round picks and potentially paying him somewhere between $25-30 million a year.
The idea of him and Ausar Thompson terrorizing other teams defensively has appeal (that’s an understatement, I would absolutely love it), but it would only work if one of them evolved into a true second option, or at least a player who scores 15 a game.
Wallace has shown those chops at times, as he had a great run in February and was very good in the playoffs where he shot 48 percent from long range. Wallace is definitely a far better shooter than Thompson, but the Pistons would also need some creation out of him.
He’d need to score in the 15-18 points per game range to justify paying that much, so it would be a risk for the Pistons, but it may be one worth taking, as the worst-case scenario is that they have the best defense in the league but still have question marks on offense.
It’s a big leap of faith to expect a player to double his scoring output, and there are some red flags, as the Thunder went to other players for creation when they had injuries in the playoffs.
But I love Wallace’s defensive tenacity and that he’s a winning player who has proven he can do it on the biggest stage. He may be one of those guys who just needs a bigger role, the kind he is never going to get in OKC.
The Thunder aren’t under pressure to do anything right now, as they can let Wallace enter restricted free agency and deal with him then. But with Mitchell’s raise coming up next, they could decide to avoid that headache and just deal Wallace this season.
He’ll be a player to watch for the Pistons, who could add to a strength and potentially land an undervalued creator.
Add us as a preferred source on Google