Before the season even started, the Detroit Pistons were on the clock for making a big trade, and that chatter has increased since they started the season 8-2 and sit atop the Eastern Conference.
Pundits are now talking about the Pistons as a possible contender who could take the next step and potentially even win the East with the right addition.
I’m going to pump the brakes just a bit and remind everyone that the Pistons have had a fairly easy schedule so far, but that has been balanced by copious injuries and a slow offensive start.
The defense has been elite, so when we are talking trade, it’s usually a scorer that gets mentioned as a possibility. In a recent episode of The Hoop Collective, meme legend Brian Windhorst said executives are already talking about the Pistons, and there are names being thrown about that you wouldn’t expect.
The Detroit Pistons could make a Desmond Bane-like trade that no one sees coming
Last summer, the Magic traded for Desmond Bane, which shocked pretty much everyone, as no one had mentioned him as a trade possibility or thought Memphis would have any notion of moving him.
Yet it happened.
It hasn’t worked out particularly well for the Magic so far, but the Pistons could make a similar type of trade for a guy who isn’t being mentioned at the moment.
For all of the talk about Lauri Markkanen, he’ll be costly, and the Pistons may be able to find a player who fits their long-term plans without mortgaging their roster to do it, as dealing with Danny Ainge is not going to be cheap.
Windhorst went as far as to say that he’s heard a name but wouldn’t divulge who it was for fear of being aggregated. Well, Windy, here we are, so you may as well have just said the name.
When looking around the league for players we don’t expect to be traded who could help the Pistons, a few jump to mind to me. Windhorst said it wasn’t a “spicy” name, so we can rule out stars, so who does that leave?
A player like Michael Porter Jr. comes to mind as a 20+ ppg scorer who would be cheaper to acquire than Lauri Markkanen and is on a better contract, but everyone knows he could be traded.
I think this qualifies as spicy, but the Pacers are 1-9, which may make Pascal Siakam available, same with Boston and Derrick White.
It’s all just speculation for now, but like the Bane trade, we could see the Pistons make a move for someone we don’t even know is available.
They don’t need a mega-blockbuster, as Detroit is another scorer away from being right there with the best teams in the East.