One thing has been clear during Jaden Ivey’s recent absence: The Detroit Pistons need another consistent scoring option.
That person may ultimately be Ivey, as he was playing efficiently before breaking his leg, is still very young and on a rookie-scale contract that is extension eligible this summer.
But Cade Cunningham is playing like an All-Star right now, and there is no reason to waste another second of his career when his team is ready to compete for the playoffs.
There is a strong argument that Cunningham needs another star, but getting one is a completely different matter, as star players aren’t easy to come by in Detroit, which is why the Pistons have spent the last five seasons trying to draft one.
A quick look around the league shows this is true, as all of the “stars” that are available come with huge red flags, guys who are past their primes, injury prone, have awful contracts or simply would never want to play in Detroit.
But what if there were a star from Michigan who grew up a Pistons fan, was still in his prime and became available? That’s the dream scenario for the Pistons, but a nightmare for the Suns.
The Pistons should hope the Suns blow it up
The Phoenix Suns are easily the most disappointing team in the NBA this season, as they are 17-19, out of the playoff picture in the Western Conference with the most expensive roster in the league and no real way to get better because of the restrictions of the second tax apron.
There is still time for them to turn it around this season, but with trade rumors hanging over their players, it seems like a full-scale implosion is as likely as a big run.
How much of this is 36-year-old Kevin Durant going to put up with before he demands a trade? He’s done it practically everywhere he’s been, and if the Suns aren’t even a playoff team, it won’t be long before we start hearing rumblings about Durant being unhappy.
Any nightmare scenario in Phoenix starts with Durant wanting out.
If Durant flees, how long before Devin Booker wants the same, as he’s not going to want to stick around for a rebuild during his prime, and if the Suns really are going to rebuild (I am highly dubious of that by the way), Booker is their best asset as a 28-year-old who scores 25 a game.
Enter the Detroit Pistons.
Detroit will have some amount of cap space next summer depending on what they do at the trade deadline, they have young players, and hopefully after the 2025 draft they will own all of their future picks.
They are also Booker’s hometown team, a team on the rise whose future looks a lot more appealing right now than the Suns’, who are being led by a guy pushing 40 and are stuck with Bradley Beal and his no-trade clause.
Unless some team decides to take on Beal at the trade deadline, which seems unlikely given the Suns’ lack of viable assets to bribe them with, Phoenix has absolutely no way to get better.
They aren’t getting Jimmy Butler unless someone takes Beal and who is that team going to be? People predicting the Pistons might do it have obviously not been paying attention to the things Trajan Langdon has said and done since taking over as team president.
The Pistons would be smarter to wait it out and see what happens with Booker.
Trading for Devin Booker
Trading for Booker has so many obstacles for the Pistons, the first being that it’s doubtful he’s ever traded unless he demands his way out.
The Suns’ owner has endless money and has shown a willingness to spend it to put together a competitive team every season, so he’s not going to trade the face of his team and rebuild for five years.
Obstacle number two is that there are other teams (Houston, OKC, San Antonio) that could put together a better package of picks than the Pistons, if the Suns are looking for picks in this scenario.
The only real advantage the Pistons have is that Booker has expressed an interest in playing in Detroit being that he’s from Michigan and grew up a Pistons’ fan. The Pistons also have Cade Cunningham, one of the league’s best passers and a guy who would help Booker get easier shots, something that is not happening in Phoenix right now.
That would be the best backcourt in the Eastern Conference and Cunningham can take on the majority of the load, leaving Booker to do his thing, which is score the basketball.
The truth is that landing Booker is a capital L Longshot for many reasons, but if Phoenix misses the playoffs this season, drastic changes may be coming and the Pistons should at least position themselves to get in the mix for Booker if it does.