Fans of the Detroit Pistons are already dreaming of the big trade that could push the team into title contention, but you might want to pump the brakes according to beat writer Hunter Patterson.
Patterson joined The Athletic NBA Daily podcast to discuss all things Pistons and said he believes the team will continue to take a patient approach with the young roster, which is not what some fans want to hear.
It’s wild how Pistons fans went from “I just want us to not be embarrassing” to “we are one move away from a title!” but that’s how things go in the NBA now, as players are constantly on the move and parity has made nearly every team think they can win a title.
Patterson said he believes Trajan Langdon will give this group as much time as possible and that he has real belief in their talent, beyond the GM speak.
I think Patterson is correct, as Langdon has been preaching patience from the beginning and his actions have matched.
You can never count anything out in the NBA, but fans who covet Devin Booker or Lauri Markkanen are probably going to be disappointed, not only because of the ethos Langdon is trying to establish but because of some real financial and roster realities.
The Detroit Pistons aren’t set up for a big trade... yet
Langdon is right to want to see how his young core performs as a group, as it’s something we’ve seen painfully little of after Ausar Thompson and Jaden Ivey had to miss big chunks of the last two seasons.
When you add in 20-year-old Ron Holland, it’s a group that has not played a single NBA minute together, so we’re far from knowing what they can be.
All that aside, I’ve outlined MANY (many) times the financial and roster constraints the Pistons are currently under.
To trade for a player on a max deal, the Pistons would have to send back at least three players to match salaries and it’s tough to make up that kind of depth. Duncan Robinson’s partially guaranteed contract could come in handy in that regard, but if you are trading him and Tobias Harris as part of a package for a star, you had better be getting back a power forward who can shoot.
That’s the other issue the Pistons face: Their biggest contract (Tobias Harris) happens to play the position where they have no depth, so if you send him out in a package for a guard, you are left with a small team with no real power forward other than 20-year-old Ron Holland.
We’ll continue to explore trade rumors of course, but I agree with Patterson that a big move might be a year or two away, as the Pistons still have to evaluate and have a wonky roster situation that makes a big trade difficult.