I breathed a sigh of relief when Brandon Ingram was traded to the Toronto Raptors at the trade deadline and not to the Detroit Pistons.
I like Ingram, but after covering his team for three years I was not high on the idea of going down that road with my Pistons, as he was often hurt and is an overall frustrating player to try and build around.
Many fans felt differently and hoped the Pistons would do something big at the trade deadline, adding another star to flank Cade Cunningham and make his life easier.
At times, it’s easy to see why they feel this way, as Cunningham has often been a one-man show on offense and the grind was taking its toll. That talk got even louder once Jaden Ivey went out and the Pistons suddenly had to find 18 points a night elsewhere.
I get it.
Stars win titles, but you also have to have a strong complementary cast around them, which will be increasingly more difficult under the new tax apron rules, something the Pistons are going to have to consider when making their offseason plans.
Cunningham’s extension kicks in next year, and both Ivey and Jalen Duren will be extension-eligible this summer, with Ausar Thompson joining them the year after that, so this young and cheap roster is about to get more expensive.
So just saying “Go get Cade some help” ignores some of the context of the cap and the guys who are currently on his team.
Jaden Ivey
I was not sold on Ivey as the secondary option coming into the season, but he was able to alleviate those concerns by being more efficient, especially as a knockdown shooter from long range.
The Pistons are likely to extend Ivey this summer and may be able to get a bargain considering he’ll be coming off an injury, which means they will potentially be getting a star player at a less-than-market rate.
Financially, it might be worth the risk to bet on Ivey being that secondary guy, especially if the Pistons get him on a team-friendly deal.
Having players who outperform their salary slot is a crucial element of team building and the Pistons have a chance to do that with Ivey.
Ausar Thompson
I was high on Ausar as the secondary option coming into the season, but that was stalled when he had to miss time with blood clots.
He’s only just now getting back to 100 percent and it has shown, as he’s been on a tear of late, stuffing the stat sheet and shooting over 70 percent from the floor in his last five games.
Are we sure Ausar Thompson isn’t that guy? With the rest of the season, his first full offseason and training camp to look forward to, we may see Thompson make a major leap between now and next season, in fact, I would bet on it.
The Pistons have been better with Thompson in the starting five and his versatility makes it easy to keep him there.
Thompson works his butt off and if he makes the kind of leap Cade made this season, the Pistons have their second guy.
Ron Holland II
Holland has a long way to go but he’s already miles ahead of where I expected him to be this season, at least offensively.
His shot is getting smoother, he’s good around the rim and he seems to improve and learn every time he steps on the floor.
Given that he is only 19, the Pistons can’t count on him to be their secondary star next season or maybe even the one after that, but down the road? This kid could be special.
My point is that the Pistons may not need to go star hunting but instead can bank on one of these three guys developing into that level of player and instead could spend the offseason retaining the right guys and making improvements to the quality of their depth.
If the right player becomes available, sure, go for it, but if not, the second star may be on the roster already anyway.