The Detroit Pistons will either find their second star in house or will go out and get one at next season’s trade deadline.
That’s according to Bryce Simon of The Game Theory podcast, who thinks the Pistons will be aggressive going after a second star to flank Cade Cunningham if there isn’t an obvious candidate on the roster already.
The Pistons have a trio of players who could slide into this role in Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland II, though no one expects the latter to be a star in his second season.
Trajan Langdon has made it clear he’s going to give these players some time to prove themselves, but the clock is already ticking and does have an end date.
After 50 games or so, Langdon is going to look at his roster and see how things are shaping up. Has Jaden Ivey proven his shooting from last season’s 30 game sample is real? Has his defense improved? If so, the Pistons may not need a big move.
Same with Ausar Thompson, who needs to tighten his handles, act more as a facilitator on offense and continue being one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. To me, Ausar has less to prove, as he already has valuable skills that every team needs.
Ron Holland II isn’t going to suddenly be a superstar, but does he move towards that? Does he start consistently knocking down corner 3-point shots as he did in a tiny Summer League sample?
These questions will have to be answered, otherwise, it’s likely we see a big move at the trade deadline.
Detroit Pistons are set up for a big trade
The Pistons aren’t in the same category as the Thunder, Rockets or Spurs when it comes to trade assets, but they do have all of the necessary ingredients to make a big move.
They have a sizeable expiring contract in Tobias Harris, several young and high-ceiling talents and control of all of their future first-round picks as well as several extra second-rounders.
Detroit lacks extra first-round picks, which could be an issue, as they want to have a steady stream of young, cheap and cost-controlled talent on the roster.
It’s unlikely the Pistons would move Ausar Thompson, but if Langdon doesn’t think Ivey or Holland are cutting it, they could be packaged for an upgrade.
One way or another, the Pistons will have that second star by the end of next year’s trade deadline, it’s just a matter of whether that player is already on the roster.