Pistons are out of realistic options after completing more business

The Detroit Pistons have finalized some business over the last two days, completing a six-team trade that netted them two journeymen, and making the signing of Kevin Huerter official. 

It was that last bit of red tape that had some fans thinking the Pistons weren’t done dealing, as they could have potentially folded Huerter into a sign and trade, but those chances are now gone. 

The Pistons have struck out (or walked away from) all of the big names they’ve been attached to this offseason, and it didn’t appear there were ever any serious options. 

With the Pelicans all but saying they are not trading Trey Murphy III, the Pistons are almost out of realistic options, and that includes Michael Porter Jr. 

The Pistons don’t have the contracts 

I wrote yesterday how the Pistons were now better setup to make a move at next year’s trade deadline, which is not a timeline most fans want to hear about. 

But it’s the reality of the situation. 

There was some minor excitement when reporting broke about the Nets trading Michael Porter Jr. before the season if they can’t come to an extension agreement. 

He could be a fit in Detroit, at least as a player, but not as a contract, as it would be challenging to match salary without doing a sign-and-trade with Duren which would be asinine and isn’t going to happen. 

Detroit could send the Nets Duncan Robinson and Ron Holland II plus draft capital, but that would be a steep price to pay for guy under contract for only one more season, who the Pistons may not have interest in extending. 

MPJ is just an example of the problem the Pistons currently face when it comes to big trades, which is why Trey Murphy III was so appealing in the first place, as he’s on a fairly team-friendly deal that would be much easier to match. 

Once all of the recently signed and traded players are eligible to be moved, Detroit will have a wealth of contracts to stack together, but right now, that isn't the case without dipping into the rotation. 

This isn’t to say it would be impossible, but it would be challenging to trade for a player making that much, not only because of salary matching but because Detroit would still need to add four more players to reach the minimum roster requirements. 

For now, re-signing Jalen Duren is the biggest move on the Pistons’ agenda, and that probably won’t change until there is some kind of resolution. The window for a big move isn’t completely closed, but it’s shutting quickly. 

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