Marcus Sasser trade rumors open several doors for the Pistons

The Detroit Pistons have been mentioned in too many rumors to keep track of, the most recent that they are looking to unload Marcus Sasser. 

Marc Stein and Jake Fischer (subscription) reported that the Dallas Mavericks have emerged as suitors for Sasser’s services. 

Sasser was the obvious choice to be moved after the Pistons traded up for Ebuka Okorie and exercised the team option on Daniss Jenkins. I wrote about Sasser potentially being a sweetener in a bigger deal, and the Pistons could have several targets on the Mavs. 

The Pistons could go the role player route 

Detroit could potentially flip Sasser for a different set of skills with a guy like Naji Marshall or Max Christie. 

Naji is a junkyard dog of a player who does a little of everything and can make plays from the wing. Christie is a very good 3-point shooter, but Dallas has little reason to move him given his contract and skillset next to Cooper Flagg. 

There’s not much else to see at the bottom of the payroll in Dallas, unless they want to fold the Sasser deal into a larger move. 

The PJ Washington trade is right there for the Pistons 

PJ Washington is another interesting name for a team in Detroit looking for help at power forward. 

I’ve always liked Washington as a small ball tweener who can stretch the floor a little, rebound and block shots. 

The Pistons could easily get there by sending Sasser and LeVert, which is something that might appeal to Dallas, given their situation with Flagg and their financial commitment to Daniel Gafford. 

But Washington’s contract goes for an additional four years, though only raises from $19-24 million so could end up having some value as the salary cap increases. 

He wouldn’t be a blockbuster by any means but would shore up a position of need, especially if the rumors about Tobias Harris being gone are true. 

The Kyrie Irving trade is the long shot 

It’s hard to imagine any potential Kyrie trade breaking as news about Marcus Sasser, but I do wonder if the Pistons are sniffing around to see what it would take. 

Obviously, Sasser alone isn’t going to do it, but if the Mavs do indeed have interest in trading for him, then who knows, the Pistons could be looking to fold it into something bigger after striking out on other targets. 

Is there a world where the Pistons put Jalen Duren on the table and flip him for Gafford and Kyrie? Maybe.

I’d say that’s a long shot at best, and that the most likely outcome is we see Sasser flipped for a couple of second round picks. 

But there are possibilities on the Mavericks, from role players to stars, so we make see the Pistons explore the options. 

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