The Detroit Pistons are setting the pace for the Eastern Conference, but most would agree that something is missing. Many are scouring the trade market for stars, but the final piece may actually be a high-level role player showing signs of being an elite 3-and-D wing: Max Christie.
With the Dallas Mavericks willing to listen to trade offers for all but two of their players, Christie is seemingly available—and Detroit needs to get Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi on the phone.
Dallas is currently 13-23 and struggling to field a healthy roster. It has a bright future with Cooper Flagg leading the charge, but injuries to players such as Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, and Dereck Lively II have inevitably stalled their momentum.
According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, the Mavericks are responding to adversity by opening their minds to trade offers for everyone on the roster but Flagg and Irving.
"The Mavericks are believed to be willing to discuss trades for anyone on the roster not named Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving, but that hardly guarantees that a Davis deal will materialize before the Feb. 5 trade buzzer."
If that means Christie is available, then Christmas has come early for a Pistons team that's struggling to space the floor without compromising the defensive perimeter.
Pistons should make a serious run at trading for Mavericks' Max Christie
Detroit currently ranks No. 20 in three-point field goal percentage and No. 27 in three-point field goals made per game. It's clearly doing well despite that fact at 26-9, but the need for improvement remains as it hopes to maintain its form and build toward truly contending.
Christie is the perfect trade candidate to help in that regard with an average of 2.4 three-point field goals made per game on .493/.466/.850 shooting in 2025-26.
Christie, who's still just 22 years of age, is a career 39.6 percent shooter from beyond the arc. As such, the relatively extreme nature of his efficiency this season is less of an egregious outlier and more of an uptick in already fine form from beyond the arc.
For those concerned about how he would fit on a team with two high-usage franchise cornerstones in Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren, Christie is No. 1 in the NBA in catch-and-shoot three-point field goal percentage among players averaging at least 2.0 conversions per game.
Max Christie would help Pistons bury threes without sacrificing defense
In addition to setting the standard for catch-and-shoot specialists, Christie has looked the part of an elite defender in 2025-26. He's taken on assignments at multiple positions, thriving both in isolation and in off-ball scenarios along the way.
According to Basketball Index, Christie ranks in the 90th percentile or higher in perimeter isolation defense, off-ball chaser defense, and ball screen navigation.
Equipped with this information, the Pistons could bring Christie in as a safe and surefire starter. Moreover, while players such as Malik Beasley and Duncan Robinson have spent the past two seasons as offensive specialists, Christie can finally bridge the gap as a two-way contributor.
As a perfect structural fit alongside Cunningham and Duren, with a team-friendly deal at an average of $8 million per season, Christie is the dream trade target the Pistons can't let slip away.