Trajan Langdon has yet to take a big swing as team president of the Detroit Pistons, but that could change this summer during the NBA Draft.
Bleacher Report suggested the Pistons should make a move for veteran Kyrie Irving, using a trade package based around the 21st pick, Ron Holland II, Isaiah Stewart and possible ”sweeteners.”
It’s an interesting idea on paper, as Irving theoretically solves the Pistons’ need for a second creator and scorer. He’s also a knockdown 3-point shooter, so would instantly make the Pistons offense more dynamic.
All of these things make sense in theory, but in practice, there are big questions about any trade for Kyrie Irving.
That’s a steep cost for a big unknown
When Irving is healthy and playing, he’s an All-NBA talent who would provide exactly what the Pistons need on offense. But he’s 34-years-old, just missed an entire season with an ACL injury and wasn’t reliable even before that.
Irving has only played more than 60 games four times in his entire career, and the last time he did it was when he played 67 games in the 2018-19 season. Since then, he’s played 20, 54, 29, 60, 58 and 50 games before missing all of last season.
When he’s healthy, he’s a 25-point scorer, great 3-point shooter and a guy who has had success playing with a big creator, but WHEN HE’S HEALTHY may as well proceed every sentence you write about Kyrie.
The Pistons would not only be giving up at least two rotation players, but also a chance to add talent to the pipeline in a deep draft. If they could push back the pick to a later year, and swap out Beef Stew for Caris LeVert, then we might be talking, but otherwise that’s a steep cost for a player at the tail end of his career who may have lost as step or two after missing an entire season.
The flip side is that maybe the year off actually helped his longevity. Also, the Pistons don’t need him to be an iron man, they need him for the playoffs, so could make it a goal to keep him healthy and limit his exposure in the regular season. He’s only under contract for two more seasons, so it’s not a death sentence if it doesn’t work, but it would still be a big risk that may not matter anyway.
Would having Kyrie Irving matter?
If the Pistons had Kyrie these past playoffs, I do think they would have gotten past the Cavaliers, as they just needed one more player to get over the hump and Stewart and Holland barely played anyway.
Whether Irving would have helped the Pistons past the Knicks is anyone’s guess, but he at least puts them in the conversation for best team in the Eastern Conference.
Would it be enough to compete with OKC and the Spurs in the West? I have my doubts about that.
Depending on the cost, Irving is probably worth the gamble, but it’s the kind of risk Trajan Langdon has yet to take, as he has mostly just supplemented the guys he’s inherited. This would be a signature move, but it’s one that comes with plenty of risk.
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