The Detroit Pistons have been attached to pretty much every available player this summer, so it makes sense we’d eventually get around to James Harden.
The Pistons were named as one of the best possible landing spots for Harden by Bleacher Report, who added, “Detroit could build sign-and-trade offers around Duncan Robinson and Ron Holland II. Failing that, if Jalen Duren is on his way out, the Pistons could look to land Harden as part of a double sign-and-trade in which the big man is going somewhere other than Cleveland.”
The Cavaliers still need Harden after striking out on LeBron James, so the most likely scenario is that he ends up back in Cleveland, but the idea of him coming to Detroit is an interesting one.
This would certainly qualify as the big swing the Pistons have yet to take, and Harden can still play, but there are some very real challenges and risks in this wild hypothetical.
James Harden is not a long-term solution, which may not be a bad thing
Harden will still get you upwards of 22 points per night to go along with 7-8 assists, which are things the Pistons desperately need next to Cade Cunningham after failing to find him a second scorer.
But Harden is about to turn 37 years old, and though he’s been a reliable player throughout his career, Father Time will catch up to him eventually, and you don’t want to be the team that employs him when it does.
At best you are getting one or two more good seasons out of Harden, and that’s if you ignore the fact that he doesn’t play any defense. The Pistons would love to compete for a title in the next year or two, so the timeline could work, but it would still be a big risk.
I also have a hard time believing the Cavaliers would be willing to do a sign-and-trade with the Pistons unless they were getting a clear upgrade or at least making a lateral move, which would not be the case here. The Cavs are trying to win right now, so trading for Ron Holland makes little sense for them, especially when they'd also be handing over an advantage to a team they played a seven-game playoff series with last season.
The double sign-and-trade
The really wild part of this hypothetical is the possibility of double sign-and-trade involving Jalen Duren.
Duren still hasn’t signed, and there is no evidence that will change anytime soon, as there is a large chasm between the two sides. If they can’t bridge it, trading him might make sense.
But depending on the details of said trade, it would leave the Pistons with just Paul Reed, Tolu Smith and slew-footed rookie Ugonna Onyenso as their only centers. Detroit already has plenty of depth at two-guard, and though none of them are the playmaker or scorer that Harden is, it’s not the position where they need a clear upgrade.
They’d be solving one problem in the short term but creating a much larger one for the long term by trading away a 22-year-old All-NBA center for a guy almost old enough to be his dad.
If the Pistons are going to swing for a blockbuster involving Duren, which seems unlikely, they have to bring back a center to replace him or multiple players that fill needs.
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