The Detroit Pistons are currently the only team in the NBA carrying cap space, which they bolstered this week by making a series of smart moves around the contract of Paul Reed.
Detroit now has $14 million in cap space after waiving and re-signing Reed, up from the $10.5 they had previously.
The boring route would be for the Pistons to be patient, wait for someone else’s big trade and then try to use their cap space to pick up future draft assets. Pragmatic, but boring.
Another option would be to pool their money with the expiring contract of Tim Hardaway Jr., which would allow the Pistons to take back a contract(s) worth around $30 million in a trade.
Given that the Pistons are lingering on the fringes of the play-in tournament, Trajan Langdon may not want to do anything but take on assets, as Detroit owns a top-13 protected pick in 2025 that I am sure he’d rather keep to add another young player or as fodder in a trade.
But if the Pistons were to go shopping for help this season, there is a list of players in that salary range who are available. Some of them could likely be had for little more than THJ’s expiring contract and some cap relief, while others would require more assets from the Pistons.
I left off players on salaries lower than THJ’s, as well as players who make more than the combination of Pistons cap space and Hardaway Jr’s expiring contract.
Detroit Pistons trade rumors: Available targets
Here are 13 players the Pistons could target in a trade and all of them have been mentioned in rumors at some point recently:
-Jerami Grant
-Anfernee Simons
-Deandre Ayton
-Lonzo Ball
-Nikola Vucevic
-Cam Johnson
-Jordan Poole
-John Collins
-Kyle Kuzma
-Malcolm Brogdon
-Clint Capela
-De’Andre Hunter
-Collin Sexton
There are guys I would rule out immediately, either because they aren’t very good or have contracts that extend past next season. The Pistons don’t want anyone on the books past Tobias Harris, which is the timeline Langdon set this summer.
I’d strike off Grant, Simons, Ayton, Poole and Hunter right away. The Trail Blazers guys just aren’t that good and in the case of Grant, have contracts that the Pistons should want no part of.
Same with Poole and Hunter, who both have contracts that extend past next season and wouldn't really move the needle for the Pistons.
Best trade possibilities for the Detroit Pistons
Of the remaining players, there are four who stand out to me in Lonzo Ball, Nikola Vucevic, Cam Johnson and John Collins, as they would all fill a need and have contracts that aren’t too troublesome.
Ball is on an expiring and could likely be had for little. Vucevic, who is shooting the lights out this season, only has one more season past this year at a reasonable price and would help the Pistons depth at center.
I wrote about Collins yesterday who is also shooting the lights out, and would fill a couple of positional needs that have gotten more urgent with recent injuries.
Cam Johnson is having his best season and his deal suddently looks pretty good, as he is owed just $22 million per season for the next two after this one and would fill a definite need for shooting on the wing.
As you can see, this list isn’t particularly exciting and no one on it is going to make the Pistons a title contender. But if the goal is to make the play-in and maybe even the playoffs, there are guys who could help.
It’s more likely Langdon stays conservative and tries to use his cap space for draft assets he can use later, and when you look at this list, it’s hard to blame him.