The Eastern Conference is up for grabs and that should delight fans of the Detroit Pistons.
We just watched the top-seeded Cavaliers and Celtics get bounced from the playoffs after winning over 60 games apiece in the regular season.
Jayson Tatum’s injury injury may force him to miss all of next season, so at the very least, will be seeing a depleted version of these Celtics.
The Bucks are in a downslide with an aging roster and may have to trade Giannis, so we could see a recalibrating of the power in the East.
That will continue even further if the Celtics go the nuclear route this summer and semi blow up their roster. Bobby Marks of ESPN broke down their finances and some of the options the Celtics have this summer, including one that he called the “gap year reset.”
Essentially, the Celtics would punt on next season by trading Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis and reset around Tatum and White, which would clean up their cap sheet and give them a better chance to compete for titles long term without paying half a billion for their roster.
This was similar to what the Bulls did when Michael Jordan took a year off to play baseball, as they retooled in his absence, and when he came back, there was a different team waiting for him.
It’s hard for me to see Boston trading Brown, but they are seeing the real challenges of building around two players who make $50+ million a season under the new CBA.
Boston is likely to trade some players this summer, but moving on from Brown would have a ripple effect on the Pistons and the entire East.
Who is the best team in the Eastern Conference?
The Knicks and Pacers are about to answer this question for the 2024-25 season, but beyond that, it is anyone’s guess.
Both Eastern Conference Finalists should be able to keep their teams together, so you can count them, and Cleveland, who is not going away, as the top three teams next season.
If the Celtics were to retool their roster and trade Brown, they’d likely drop out of the top 4 and possibly out of the playoffs altogether.
If the Knicks, Pacers and Cavaliers are the top three teams in the East, then the Pistons have to feel pretty good about themselves, as they took the Knicks to six games in a competitive first-round playoff series and went toe-to-toe all season with the other two.
Detroit has the most room for growth and improvement as the youngest team of the four and with the right moves, can certainly put themselves in the conversation, especially if Boston is out of the picture.
Who is going to trade for Jaylen Brown?
We’ve talked all offseason about the challenges and risks with gutting your roster for a star player. Fans are usually not about patience, but some is required here, as the Pistons may be able to get to the next level just through development and continuity.
The exception to this is if the Pistons could land the right star who is still in his prime and Brown fits that mold. He’s a winner, champion and one of the best two-way wings in the game.
It’s unlikely the Pistons could or would trade for Brown even if he was made available, but it’s an interesting thought, as they could send a package of Tobias Harris’ expiring, Jaden Ivey and one other player (with a few draft picks) for Brown, who is under contract for four more seasons, which represent the rest of his prime years.
I don’t think this is going to happen, but Brown is one of the stars that the Pistons would at least have to kick the tires on if he hit the market.
This is going to be an interesting summer in Boston, as they have to decide how they want to use the year without Jayston Tatum, and their choices will impact the entire conference.