Michael Porter Jr. has been repeatedly connected to the Detroit Pistons in trade speculation, though there have been no reports of formal talks with the Nets.
There have been reports that the Pistons are discussing the idea of MPJ internally, a report that also included the name Miles Bridges, which didn’t get a great response from Pistons fans.
The Pistons eviscerated the Nets last night with MPJ sitting out for “personal reasons,” which only heightened speculation that he might be moved before this week’s trade deadline.
Everyone knows the Pistons’ biggest weakness is shooting and MPJ is one of the best shooters in the league. He’s also on a contact that only extends through next season, so he’s not a long-term killer financially and will be off the books before Ausar Thompson gets a big raise.
He’s a fit and he makes sense depending on what it would take to get him.
Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press dropped an idea that caught my attention:
This is one of the only trade proposals I’ve seen that made a lot of sense for the Pistons, as they’d be getting an upgrade without sacrificing any of the future.
A Michael Porter Jr. trade that doesn’t involve Jaden Ivey
Almost all of the fake trades I’ve seen during this particularly silly season have included Jaden Ivey, who will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
But there is no reason for the Pistons to give away Ivey if they don’t have to, as there is a good chance he’ll be an entirely different player in the future once he is fully recovered from a devastating leg injury.
The Pistons can potentially lock him up at a discount and have at the very least a valuable bench player who can score.
Tobias Harris is an unrestricted free agent, and his salary would be needed to make the money work. He’s not a player who is easy to give away either, but Porter Jr. would be an immediate offensive upgrade, there is no arguing that.
Neither player is a great defender, but MPJ is a big body who can at least cover some of the bigger forwards the Pistons have problems with at times.
LeVert is not a loss at all, as he hasn’t even played of late, and Daniss Jenkins and Jaden Ivey have played better without him.
The Pistons could make this trade while maintaining the exact young core they have now, which allows them to go for it this season without disrupting the future. It makes more sense than other trade proposals which see them giving up on young guys before they've reached their potential.
It’s unclear if the Pistons have anything this big in mind, and there is some trepidation about losing veteran leader Tobias Harris, but this is one they would at least have to consider.