The Detroit Pistons are being mentioned in myriad trade rumors, and in most of them, they are acting as a solution to some other team’s problem.
One of those teams is the Celtics, who may decide to cut some of their massive payroll after Jayson Tatum’s devastating injury that may have ended their run in this current form.
We’ve seen the Pistons mentioned as a potential home for Jrue Holiday, which makes little sense for Detroit considering the hefty amount left on his contract and the fact that he’ll be 37-years-old by the end of it.
Detroit would be more likely to work around the fringes of Boston’s roster and try to buy low on a guy like Sam Hauser, who is locked into a reasonable deal but could still offer the Celtics a way to trim payroll.
There’s also Kristaps Porzingis, a player who would be perfect for the Pistons on paper but comes with obvious red flags when it comes to injury history. But he’s on an expiring contract, so wouldn’t be a long-term risk like Holiday, which mitigates the exposure of whatever team ends up with him.
Porzingis is a risk I’ve talked about in the past, and he might be one worth taking if the price is right.
Detroit Pistons trade rumors: Kristaps Porzingis may be a risk worth taking
A recent article in Bleacher Report explored the possible market for Porzingis this summer, which could be limited given that he only played 42 games this season and was unable to do much in the playoffs because of a nebulous illness.
They included the Pistons as a possible landing spot, though admitted this would represent the low end of what Boston should expect from a Porzingis trade, as it offers little more than cap relief:
I have to say, this one caught my attention, as the Pistons would only be giving up Simone Fontecchio, who is also on an expiring deal, and Marcus Sasser, who only appeared in 57 games this season.
It’s a clear salary dump from Boston, who would be clearing money next season and even more the season after that, just as Jayson Tatum is likely returning from his injury.
The Pistons get a giant 3-point sniper who can also block shots. They already have two centers, so Porzingis wouldn’t have to play big minutes and would add an offensive weapon Detroit currently lacks as well as some size and depth.
But the real cost wouldn’t only be the trade package Detroit would have to send to Boston, which I tend to doubt would be this low in reality.
Trading for Porzingis would likely make it impossible for the Pistons to bring back all of their own free agents, so some or all of Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr., Dennis Schroder and Paul Reed would not be returning.
As good as Porzingis is when he’s healthy, he often isn’t, and the Pistons’ success from this season was partially built on a fairly good run of health outside of Jaden Ivey. Porzingis would be a risk that would potentially cost them more reliable players, even if none of them are as good individually.
It’s an interesting idea, but one that would be a shocking departure from what Trajan Langdon has talked about and shown so far, even at such a low cost.