Pistons top trade target on the Clippers isn't Kawhi Leonard

The Detroit Pistons will head into the offseason looking to strengthen a roster that just won 60 games but still has come clear holes. 

The playoffs made it clear that the Pistons need another reliable scorer and ball handler, as too much was put on Cade Cunningham for the second year in a row. 

There are already plenty of names being thrown around, everyone from Kyrie Irving to Austin Reaves to Kawhi Leonard. 

Leonard is an interesting idea, not only because of his talent but because his expiring contract mitigates some of the injury risk. That said, $50 million wouldn’t be easy for the Pistons to match on a guy who would essentially be a one-year mercenary. 

However, his teammate Darius Garland might be the better fit and a more realistic option depending on LA’s plans. 

The Pistons will have to wait out other teams 

Threats of possible lottery reform could change the way teams do business this summer, as they will need some clarity before they start giving away draft picks that may be more or less valuable than they were in the past depending on the new lottery rules. 

If the NBA does adopt some of the changes discussed, then teams will be less likely to tank outright, which may stop some from making trades. 

The Clippers are also at a bit of a crossroads and will have to decide if they want to keep at it with a group that won 42 games this season or continue the reset that started when they traded James Harden to Cleveland. 

Garland may not even be available, and though he’d be a nice option, there are still challenges to making it happen. 

Garland is a tricky player to rate 

Garland is a two-time All-Star who is a very good 3-point shooter and guy who can run the offense for the Pistons at times. 

He does have defensive limitations because of his size, and he’s also coming off a season in which he only played 45 games. Availability has long been an issue for Garland, and the Pistons have avoided these types of players in the past. 

Then you get to his salary, which is $42 and 44 million over the next two seasons. It’s not crazy considering Jalen Duren will probably be making that much, but it’s a lot of salary to match, so the Pistons would have to send at least Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson to get started. 

The Clippers would undoubtedly want at least one first-round pick as well, so it’s starts getting expensive in terms of salary and cost to obtain. And that's before you even get to the question of why the Clippers would want to do this in the first place.

Garland checks a lot of boxes for Detroit, especially when you consider he’s on a similar timeline as their core, but his salary, availability and cost may be enough to scare the Pistons away and that’s if the Clippers have any interest in trading him at all.

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