The Pistons may appear wise to avoid trading considerable assets for LaMelo Ball, but missing out on him could be a huge mistake. Ball would have given the Pistons another proven creator and playmaker, rather than waiting on younger players to develop into that. Additionally, the cost to acquire Ball wasn’t necessarily a high one if pick swaps don’t pan out.
The Pistons missed out on LaMelo
On the surface, it seems like the Timberwolves gave up a lot to bring in LaMelo. They ended up sending Naz Reid, one unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps and three second-round picks to Charlotte. But in reality, most of those assets outside Reid and the first-round pick could have very little actual value.
In fact, the Pistons sent out their own version of Naz Reid in Isaiah Stewart out for a return of much less value. Both were fan favorite big men coming off the bench and contributing massively to their team’s rise in recent seasons, but now found themselves expendable as those teams looked to upgrade.
The difference is that the Wolves made a clever move to package Reid along with some other pieces to add a second star, while the Pistons seemingly sold low on Stewart. Minnesota may have done a good amount of swindling to convince Charlotte that upcoming pick swaps are valuable, even though the Wolves are highly unlikely to ever have a better draft slot than the Hornets going forward.Â
Meanwhile, the Wolves ended up with an All-Star player that both they and the Pistons could use. LaMelo Ball has been a lightning rod for criticism throughout his career for his antics and lack of winning, but has also proven himself as a severely underrated offensive engine. For his career, he averages 21 points and 7 assists per game. Ball will certainly take pressure off Anthony Edwards now, and he could have done the same for Cade Cunningham.
The risk of the trade was worth it
Of course it is possible that the Wolves wind up sending out more than one valuable pick in this trade, if LaMelo's pesky injury history ever pops up again or they just have a down year. But that's a gamble worth making for a team that's established itself as a perennial playoff threat and yet still finds itself a tier short of the top contenders in the West.
The Pistons haven't experienced as much playoff success as the Wolves yet, but the writing is on the wall for Detroit to find itself in the same position in a couple years. They could have skipped some stages of postseason heartbreak early by bringing in another star like LaMelo Ball now.
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