The Detroit Pistons have spent this trade deadline season waving their cap space around like a kid with the last lollipop.
They are the only team that has any, so can field offers from anyone that needs to dump a contract to make a big deal happen.
After the hated Lakers stunned the league by trading for Luka Doncic for pennies on the dollar, other teams in the Western Conference are looking to add their own stars to keep up.
The Golden State Warriors have emerged as a team to watch, as they are reportedly calling on just about every star player, publicly available or not, looking for a way to max out the last few years of Stephen Curry.
We’ve already talked about Kevin Durant, but that will be a complicated (possible, but complicated) deal to make and the Suns have shown no indication they want to blow things up.
That could have Golden State turning to Plan B, C and D, which leads us to Zion Williamson.
I suggested the Pistons might sniff around Zion if the price was right, but Bleacher Report had other ideas with this four-team mega-trade that lands the Pistons an upgrade at guard.
4-Team trade sends Zion Williamson to the Warriors, CJ McCollum to the Detroit Pistons
Here is the trade Bleacher Report laid out in their latest fake mega-deal:
Detroit Pistons get
- CJ McCollum
- Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
- Chicago's 2025 second-rounder (top-55 protection, via Sacramento)
Golden State Warriors get
- Zion Williamson
New Orleans Pelicans get
- Kyle Anderson
- Tobias Harris
- Jonathan Kuminga
- Dennis Schröder
- Toronto's 2025 second-rounder (via Detroit)
- 2025 first-round pick (unprotected, via Golden State)
- 2027 first-round pick (top-seven protection, via Golden State)
- 2028 second-round pick (less favorable of Charlotte and Los Angeles Clippers, via Detroit)
Sacramento Kings get
- Kevon Looney (into non-taxpayer mid-level exception)
- Javonte Green (into minimum exception)
- Miami's 2025 second-round pick (top-37 protection, via Golden State)
Phew.
I’m not sure how they came up with this one, or if Zion is actually a fit in Golden State, but that is their concern, mine is the Pistons.
Detroit would be giving up Tobias Harris and two second-round picks for CJ McCollum, which seems like a pretty good deal.
McCollum would replace Harris’ veteran leadership, is a much better scorer and would give the Pistons an immediate Jaden Ivey replacement who is only under contract for one more season, same as Harris.
The Pistons would essentially be paying $4 million more for McCollum, which is not a bad bargain.
The downside to this is that the Pistons are small in the frontcourt already, and with Harris gone, they wouldn’t have a real power forward on the roster. This could be tough on their interior defense and rebounding, which would not be helped by the fact that McCollum isn’t a good defender on the perimeter.
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl would just help the Pelicans shed more money, though he can play power forward.
It would almost require another move from the Pistons, who don’t likely want to use Ausar Thompson or Simone Fontecchio as a power forward full time.
It’s hard to grade this one without knowing what comes next, but I am not sure it necessarily makes the Pistons better this year, as they’d be filling one need and creating another one.