Kawhi Leonard has emerged as an ideal target for the Detroit Pistons this offseason, and given his two-way potential and MVP upside, the veteran forward would be the perfect fit alongside Cade Cunningham.
Detroit is determined to find their star guard the help the postseason proved he needed and with Leonard's questionable future with the Clippers, of the options on the market, the 34-year-old may be the best one.
According to Pistons beat reporter Hunter Patterson of The Athletic, any potential deal with LA would almost certainly require Detroit to include one of Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren within the outgoing package.
Obviously, landing an All-NBA talent comes with a cost, and given the Pistons need to find a viable second option to get over the hump, it's a price Trajan Langdon may be willing to pay.
The question is, which Pistons prospect should be off limits?
Would the Pistons offload Ausar Thompson or Jalen Duren to land Kawhi?
Detroit will have to take a deep look in the mirror and ask themselves if any potential deal to land Leonard is worth the potential asking price from the Clippers.
Neither Duren nor Thompson has reached their prime, and as young prospects, there's still plenty of optimism that they can elevate their game to help them get over the hump.
Of course, landing a premium talent comes at a price, but considering Leonard's age and his injury history, the Pistons' salvaging a key piece of their future for short-term upside would be questionable.
Considering other names on the market, such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Trey Murphy III, Jaylen Brown, or even much cheaper options like Dejounte Murray, if Detroit were truly willing to part with key members of their core, it would make more sense to land a talent who could be a long-term fit.
Even if the Clippers' star does stay healthy, as Patterson mentioned, landing Kawhi carries the risk that he may not be willing to commit to the team.
"It’d be a short-sighted move to ship either of them off for a player in Leonard, who turns 35 on June 29 with no guarantee he’d want to be around for the bulk of Cade Cunningham’s best years," Patterson said.
So the question Detroit would have to ask, is it worth it?
Kawhi Leonard is a great option, but not for a premium price
The reason the Pistons would pivot to Kawhi is that he wouldn't cost the price of a name like Giannis Antetokounmpo or Jaylen Brown.
Leonard has an injury history; he doesn't exactly fit the Clippers timeline anymore, and it's clear LA isn't exactly close.
All that to say, Los Angeles doesn't exactly have leverage in terms of his asking price.
The Pistons would certainly be interested if the price is right, given how well he'd fit in J.B. Bickerstaff's system and the roster questions he'd answer, but if it costs a ridiculous asking price, Detroit will almost certainly have to seek a solution elsewhere.
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