Giannis Antetokounmpo drama could wreck Pistons' offseason plans

The Detroit Pistons are still in the first round of the playoffs, but for those of us not playing in the games, it’s never too early to look ahead to the offseason when Trajan Langdon will have some work to do no matter how this turns out. 

The playoffs have exposed the Pistons’ biggest concerns as reality, as they do need a second scorer to take some of the burden off Cade Cunningham, who has to be nearly perfect for the Pistons to win. 

Some early names we’ve heard come from Miami, where Tyler Herro is up for an extension and will enter next season on an expiring deal without it. Norman Powell will be an unrestricted free agent, and either of these guys would be quick fixes for Detroit’s scoring woes. 

The problem is that Miami will be busy with another project that will put all of this on hold and potentially put these two players out of Detroit’s reach. 

The Heat are the frontrunners for Giannis Antetokounmpo 

It’s no secret that the Bucks are going to shop Giannis this summer, and Miami will be one of the teams in hot pursuit. 

Miami has long coveted a superstar to pair with Bam Adebayo, and the relationship between Giannis and Milwaukee has fractured enough where it’s starting to look like he might be the guy. 

This is going to be the biggest story of the summer and perhaps even beyond, as Giannis is not eligible to sign an extension until the beginning of October, which could drag this thing out for most of the offseason if he won’t commit. 

The Pistons may not be in the running for Giannis, and I don’t think they will be, as they just don’t have the combination of contracts to come up with that much money to send back. I’m sure they could find a way to make it work, but it would take at least 3-4 players and that’s if they were able to sign and trade Duren. 

Detroit may not get Giannis, but could be hindered by him 

While Detroit may not be in serious contention for Giannis, they might be for Herro and Powell, two guys who will become crucial for Miami’s quest to land the Greek Freak. 

Herro would almost have to be included in the trade to make the money work, so you can likely rule him out. He’s also from Wisconsin, which the Heat may be able to use as a selling point to the Bucks. Herro and Kel’el Ware would be a decent haul if there are enough draft picks attached. 

Norman Powell will be an unrestricted free agent and can go wherever he wants, but he’s the exact type of veteran Miami will need to retain if they want to be competitive with Giannis, as him and Bam aren’t going to be enough if the rest of the team sucks. 

The Pistons may be stuck waiting for the Giannis drama to unfold, which may force them to move onto targets on teams other than the Heat. 

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