The Detroit Pistons have been lurking with their cap space during this trade deadline season, waiting for the right deal to pounce.
And after the stunning Luka Doncic trade, you can’t blame teams for being patient, holding their cards close to their chest and hoping that another unexpected superstar might be available.
Kevin Durant is the latest name in the rumor mill, with the desperate Golden State Warriors looking for any way to make a last run or two with Stephen Curry. They are combing the league for available stars, and Durant’s name immediately surfaced.
The good news is that even if Golden State were to land Durant, he won’t be joining a 73-win super-team, but one with older stars that is currently in the 10th spot in the Western Conference.
This is one deal that the Pistons should hope happens, as it raises a couple of possibilities for them to cash in themselves, either at the deadline or possibly after the season.
The Pistons could be involved in a Kevin Durant trade to Golden State
Detroit is sitting on $14 million and cap space and will probably wait until the last minute to decide how to use it as Trajan Langdon weighs which deal will yield him the most assets.
They could easily be involved in any Durant deal as a third or fourth team and pick up a draft pick or two for their troubles, or possibly even a player one of the teams wants to discard.
The Warriors own all of their draft picks from 2025-2029, so if they want to rent some of the Pistons’ cap space to send a contract like Kevon Looney, Detroit should walk away with one of those picks.
Devin Booker trade to the Pistons
Look, it’s beyond a long shot that Devin Booker ends up in Detroit even though he has shown interest in the past and has ties to the area.
But if the Suns end up dealing Kevin Durant, it’s safe to assume that Booker might also want out, and Detroit suddenly looks like a good situation. They have the same record as the Suns, but are doing it with a young team that is on the rise, not the other way around.
Booker and Cunningham would be a great duo together and Booker could play in front of his hometown fans, which I do think he’d appreciate.
The problem is that Booker has little say in it, as he is under contract, and if the Suns do trade him, they’ll be looking for the best possible deal, which probably won’t be coming from the Pistons given their lack of draft assets.
I get all of the logic behind it, but my gut tells me there is something there (my gut has been known to be a bit of a Homer), maybe not at the trade deadline, but in the future.
If the Pistons convey the pick they owe Minnesota this offseason, they could potentially trade the Suns a package based around Jaden Ivey and a bunch of picks and swaps. Would that be enough to outbid a team like Houston if they wanted Booker? Probably not, but let me dream!