After finally requesting a trade (sort of), the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes has officially begun, with the Warriors one of the frontrunners to obtain the former MVP. The Pistons have no realistic shot at Giannis, but they could land a player in the trade.
The Heat, Knicks and Warriors have been the three teams most connected to Giannis, though the Warriors are the only one of the three with a realistic shot at him at the trade deadline.
The Heat only have two tradable picks, while the Knicks currently have zero. Both teams will have more ammo in the summer and are hoping the Giannis trade doesn’t happen until then. I laid out how a Giannis trade to one of these teams wouldn’t necessarily be bad for the Pistons, but if it’s going to happen, it will likely have to be in the summer.
Meanwhile, the Warriors have a big contract, young players and can trade up to four picks and three swaps if they want to add Giannis for a couple more desperation runs at a title. Golden State would have a challenge building a team around three guys eating up most of the cap space, but that’s a problem they’d gladly take on if they can have Giannis and Steph Curry on the same team.
If the Bucks are going to trade Giannis, it’s likely they’ll try to unload some of their other veterans, including Myles Turner, Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis Jr., one of whom might be a fit on the Pistons.
Bobby Portis Jr. isn't perfect, but he checks boxes for the Pistons
Bobby Portis Jr. would fit into the Pistons’ trade exception, which means they wouldn’t have to send out matching salary to take him on, something that could appeal to the Warriors and Bucks.
I brought up the idea of Portis recently and did get some pushback from readers who keep telling me, the “Pistons need a second scorer! They need a creator! They need a 3-point shooter!” All of these things may be true, but my response is always, “ok, give me the next 10 words after that. Who is that player? How does it happen?” Scorers who create and shoot 3's don't grow on trees, and teams that have them don't usually want to give them up without being handsomely rewarded.
Portis Jr. is not ideal, as his defense has taken a step back, but his shooting certainly hasn’t, as he’s hitting nearly 49 percent of his shots from the floor and 46 percent from long range on over four attempts per game.
He’s not the volume shooter the Pistons would like, but he’s a tough veteran who knows his role and plays it well. He has championship experience and would give the Pistons a big man who can shoot, which they don’t currently have.
Portis Jr. could slide into the backup power forward role, pushing Ron Holland II to his more comfortable small forward spot and pushing Caris LeVert out of the rotation (sorry Caris).
I will admit that there may be better options out there, but not too many stretch fours who can fit into their trade exception and may not cost much more than a second-round pick.