Pistons smartly staying away from summer's pending disaster

The Milwaukee Bucks are almost certain to trade superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer, and so far, the Detroit Pistons have not even been mentioned as a possibility, which is a good thing. 

Teams will undoubtedly be lined up to pay a premium price for the Greek Freak, who only played 36 games this year, but is still one of the top players in the league and one of the few trade targets who could shift the balance of power. 

The thing is, it may not shift to the team that trades for him. 

Trading for aging stars rarely works 

Whichever team trades for Giannis will be giving up a slew of players and picks that will represent one of the biggest trade packages we’ve seen for some time. 

It’s basically going to take your two best young players, a reasonable contract or two and all of your picks to get Giannis, and while he is still a very good player, history has shown us that trading for a superstar who is over 30 rarely works, especially for one that has a troubling recent injury history.

Not only will the team be giving up a big chunk of their roster, not to mention all of their draft equity, but they’ll be taking on Giannis’ monster $58 million salary. Oh, and did I mention that you also either have to sign him to what will likely be the biggest extension in NBA history or let him walk as a free agent after next season? 

I am sure whatever team trades for him will try to get him to agree to that extension right away to risk him being a rental, but now you are locked into age 31-34 of Giannis making $75 million a year. Good luck with that. 

Giannis has always been a guy who relies on his freakish combination of size and athleticism. His skillset may not age well, so whoever gets him had better hope they win a title immediately.

This is not the right trade for the Pistons 

The Pistons don’t even have the trade package to get seriously involved with the Giannis trade without giving up Ausar Thompson, and that is not likely to happen. 

If the Pistons are going to take a risk on a veteran, it should be one that doesn’t have such daunting financial implications and even then, it’s a stretch. 

I know there are fans who want the Pistons to make a splashy move (believe me, I hear from them EVERY day), but please point out the trade where a team gave up a massive trade package for a +30 star, and it worked out. I’ll wait. 

It’s not like it wouldn’t be great to have Giannis, but it’s not realistic, and whoever does it will be taking on a pending disaster that could easily blow up in their faces. 

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