The biggest question around the Detroit Pistons after their surprising run to the playoffs is whether they should cash in some of their chips now in pursuit of a second star to pair with Cade Cunningham.
For their part, the Pistons have been clear about their intentions to say patient, as they need further evaluation of their own players and may have that second star on the roster already.
There’s also the issue that the Pistons don’t have many tradable contracts, the type you need to match salaries for any star player. It would take at least three players to match any max salary, so the Pistons would have to weigh the addition vs. what they would have to subtract.
Bleacher Report recently wrote about three “dream” trade targets for the Pistons, but each would represent a different version of the above conundrum.
Jrue Holiday
I’ve written about Holiday several times at this point, as the Celtics would clearly like to shed his contract, which could make him available at a relatively low trade cost.
The real cost is the three expensive years left on Holiday’s deal, as he’s already showing signs of decline and will be 37-years old by the end of it.
The Pistons would essentially be paying Holiday like their second-best player, and you have to ask yourself what the ceiling of such a team is.
Detroit would be better off developing their own guys and not wasting a precious max payroll slot on a guy who is not a max player.
Devin Booker
Pistons fans have been talking about this one for years, mostly because of Booker’s connection to Michigan, which he flaunts every time he’s in town.
Booker and Cade Cunningham are certainly intriguing as a backcourt, and he’d be the second star they currently lack.
But he’s on a massive deal that would require at least three contracts to match, so you could say goodbye to Tobias Harris, Jaden Ivey and at least one other player, probably two, and that’s before we get to the draft picks.
Jaden Ivey may never be Booker, but he’ll give you a big chunk of his production for a fraction of the cost, allowing the team to invest in bigger needs. Ivey was a better 3-point shooter than Booker this season, and if that continues, he may be a better long-term fit when you factor in salary.
Booker is the flashy name, but there is no guarantee he’d make the Pistons a better team overall when they could potentially have two good players for less money.
There’s also the issue that the Suns have repeatedly said they are not trading him, which could change of course, but Booker is a long shot at best and one the Pistons would have to think twice about given the cost.
If the Pistons could get him for Harris, Ivey, Fontecchio and a couple of first-round picks, then they’d have to consider, but the cost will likely be much higher.
Cam Johnson
It was recently reported that the Nets were looking for another lottery pick in this year’s draft in exchange for Cam Johnson, and if that is the case, then the Pistons are out, as they don’t have one.
Johnson is off a career year, so Detroit would be buying high if they did trade for him, and you have to ask what they’d be getting. Even in a “career” year, Johnson only played 57 games and has only played 60 or more twice in his six-year career.
He’s a great fit as a shooter but doesn’t fit the profile of players Trajan Langdon has targeted so far, as he specifically went after guys without lengthy injury histories. Johnson has played 57, 60, 66, 42, 58 and 57 games in his career, so does not qualify.
He’s a 6-foot-8 forward who can shoot and is on a reasonable deal that only extends two more seasons, so he sounds like a perfect fit, but when you factor in his injury history and the buy-high price tag, he’s much more of a risk.
Of these three, Johnson seems the most likely, but judging by what Trajan Langdon has done so far, even he seems like a long shot.
All of these are great players that perfectly represent the challenges the Pistons face when looking for a big addition.