The Detroit Pistons have a comfortable four-game lead atop the Eastern Conference, which has some wondering if they will speed up their timeline by making a splashy trade at the deadline. The Pistons have come out of nowhere to take over the East, but the blueprint for a championship may not involve making a big trade.
The Oklahoma City Thunder were in nearly the exact same position in the 2023-34 season as a young team that surprisingly won the Western Conference regular season before getting bounced in the second round of the playoffs.
Even before that season started, media and pundits were wondering when OKC would push in some of their considerable trade assets for a splashy star. Sam Presti resisted the urge and instead used his team’s playoff loss to identify weaknesses that he could address without sending out any of his best trade assets.
The Thunder instead used their financial flexibility and Josh Giddey to land key veterans in Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso, who helped them win a title. Presti’s patience was rewarded, and now he’s still got a young team fresh off a title and in position to contend for them for the foreseeable future.
He managed to build what looks to be a sustainable contender by drafting well, identifying which players weren’t part of the future and finding the right veterans to fill in the gaps as his young team matures.
Trajan Langdon can follow a similar blueprint for the Pistons.
The Detroit Pistons don’t have to make a big trade to contend
I completely understand those who believe the Pistons should seize the opportunity in front of them by making a win-now trade. The Eastern Conference is there for the taking, and the right addition might be able to push the Pistons into the Finals.
But there is also the argument that the Pistons should do what the Thunder did in 2023-24, which is resist the urge for a big trade and instead make the necessary adjustments in the offseason.
The Pistons could potentially use Jaden Ivey the same way the Thunder used Josh Giddey (though it would have to be a sign and trade) and will have some financial flexibility with Tobias Harris’ big number off the books and a couple of expiring contracts in Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson as possible salary matching.
The big trade may be easier to make next summer, and if not, Trajan Langdon will have another playoffs worth of data to identify exactly what his team needs to win a title.
It’s a tough conundrum, as the temptation to make a big move must be there and the right one could push the Pistons over the top, but the Thunder have shown that patience can pay both short and long-term dividends.