Malik Beasley likes to stir the pot, which he did with a recent Instagram comment about the possibility of the Detroit Pistons pursuing Lauri Markkanen.
The Pistons have long been connected to Markkanen as a possible trade target, mostly by Pistons fans who dream of what a seven-foot stretch four would look like next to Cade Cunningham.
Beasley got fans attention when he wrote “We have ties I can make it happen” underneath a post claiming the Pistons could pursue a trade for Markkanen this summer. Beasley and Markkanen were briefly teammates in Utah.
I am sure Beasley was just kidding around, and if not, the follow up question I’d like to ask is which of his three teammates (at least) he’s banishing to Utah to make it happen, but more on that in a second.
At the very least, this comment solidifies the speculation that Beasley will be back in Detroit, something that has long been considered a foregone conclusion after there has been expressed mutual interest.
Beasley managed to stir up two rumors with just eight words, the first, that he'll be back in the Motor City next season, and the second, that the team might make a play for Lauri Markkanen, but only one of these is likely to happen.
Detroit Pistons trade rumors: Lauri Markkanen is too expensive and too risky
On paper, you won’t find too many players who are better potential fits for the Pistons than Lauri Markkanen, as he checks just about every box for what they need.
He’s a floor-spreading four with size, young enough to fit the timeline, locked into a contract and would fill a long-term need for which they currently do not have an answer.
There has been some backlash to Markkanen, with some saying he’s not a “winning player” because he’s not had any success in the playoffs. I hate this narrative, as the same thing could have been said about Cade Cunningham before last season and it’s not a player’s fault that his team decides to tank right after acquiring him, which is what happened with Markkanen.
My concern would be the contract vs. how many games he’s played. We’re talking about a guy owed between $46-53 million over the next four seasons who has only played 60+ games three times in his eight-year career.
As I wrote about recently, going after a player with this type of injury history would go against Trajan Langdon’s ethos so far.
There’s also the issue of trade cost, as the Jazz would almost certainly want a package headlined by Ausar Thompson which should be an immediate “no” from Detroit. Thompson has just as high a ceiling, and without him, the Pistons’ defense would be pathetic with Markkanen in front of Duren.
You can argue that Markkanen wouldn’t work without Thompson.
There’s also the issue of giving up three rotation players (which you would need to make the money work) for a guy who misses this many games. That’s a lot of minutes to make up with little money to fill out the rest of the roster.
Beasley may want to bring his old teammate from the Jazz to Detroit, but there are very real challenges to doing so, which make it extremely unlikely.