There’s an old cliche that says, “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes," which seems to apply perfectly to the rumors about Anthony Davis being traded to the Detroit Pistons.
I was skeptical about these rumors from the beginning because AD just doesn’t make sense. Trajan Langdon has talked endlessly about not making rash moves, about evaluating his young players fully before making decisions, and about giving this group a chance to grow together.
Trading for AD would spit in the face of all of that.
Langdon has thus far targeted players without lengthy injury histories, as he probably still has PTSD from being GM of a team with Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball on it, so there’s another way that Davis would go against the grain.
And he’s not a clear fit on the court, as putting him at power forward between Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren would eliminate what little spacing the Pistons have, though the defensive possibilities are enticing.
Davis is a great player, and whenever a great player is connected to your team in rumors, it’s going to cause a buzz, but it turns out that the buzz was predictably founded on a whole lot of nothing.
Jake Fischer doesn’t see Anthony Davis as an option for the Detroit Pistons
NBA insider Jake Fischer agrees and said so in a recent segment for Bleacher Report, saying, “I find the Pistons to be an incredibly unlikely landing spot for Anthony Davis...They could theoretically get into the mix for anyone... but I don’t see them wanting to put Anthony Davis on their cap sheet knowing that they are going to have to pay Duren and Ausar Thompson...I just don’t see Trajan Langdon splurging to pay Anthony Davis $70 million, I just don’t.”
He then added that Dallas wasn’t going to move AD without a “significant package” coming back in return, another factor that rules out the Pistons, who are not going to gut their roster for a guy who is always hurt.
I agree with everything Fischer said and have been saying this from the beginning, but rumors are what they are, and we are in the business of discussing them.
All of this was a whole lot of nothing and likely a nugget released by an agent to try to drive up the price of their client.
The Pistons were just caught in the crossfire, so while they may end up making a trade deadline move, it’s not likely to involve Anthony Davis.