Pistons trade rumors are filled with red flags Detroit can't ignore

The Detroit Pistons flamed out in the second round after winning 60 games, have all of their own draft picks and contracts to trade, so naturally they are involved in every trade rumor, even ones that are risks they should probably avoid. 

Pundits expect the Pistons to be aggressive this summer to address what appears to be their biggest need, which is someone other than Cade Cunningham who can create a shot and score consistently. 

The names that have emerged so far would be perfect if it were 10 years ago, as they are all players on the downsides of their careers, making huge money and walking injury risks. We’ve seen Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George all thrown out as possibilities, which basically sounds like an All-NBA team from 2016. 

While there is some intrigue since we are talking about three future Hall-of-Famers, there are levels to the risk the Pistons would incur with each guy. 

Kyrie, PG13 and Kawhi: Who presents the least amount of risk for the Pistons? 

It’s hard to imagine the Pistons wanting any part of Paul George’s contract. This is guy who has played 78 games combined over the last two seasons and has put up pedestrian numbers (for him) in that time. 

It would cost at least three player’s worth of contracts to match his $54 million salary, and he still has a player option for $56 million the year after that. Even if Philly threw in draft compensation, it shouldn’t be enough for the Pistons to take this kind of risk. 

Kyrie Irving is interesting in that he’s making the least amount of money and would fill a clear need for the Pistons. But he’s coming off a missed season, so hasn’t played competitive basketball in more than a year. Like Paul, he has an option after next season, so Detroit would potentially be taking on two years of Kyrie. 

Given his injury history, the price should be relatively low, and his contract number ($39 million up to 42 the next season) would be easier for the Pistons to match. 

Kawhi Leonard is coming off a great season, though we know he also has a lengthy injury history to consider. If you could get this year’s Kawhi, it might be worth the risk, as he is only under contract for one more season. 

He’s making $50 million, so the Pistons would have to send back substantial salary that would cut into their depth, meaning any injury to Kawhi or anyone else would be devastating. It’s hard to see the moody Kawhi wanting to be in Detroit, so he could be a one-off that could blow up in their faces if he isn’t healthy. 

The Pistons don’t have to act desperate 

These trades all stink of desperation to me, and the Pistons don't need to be desperate. I know impatient fans don’t want to hear this, but they will improve considerably just on internal development of players like Duren, Thompson and Holland. 

It seems way too early to swing for these types of players, when there will undoubtedly be other guys who are younger and don’t have the injury history. We’ll see how things develop, but the trade rumors we are hearing so far would be a stark break from the plan Trajan Langdon has outlined. 

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