The Detroit Pistons are rolling, playing better basketball than they have since Barack Obama was president.
Because of that, along with their cap space, open roster spot and expiring deals, the Pistons are being included in a ton of trade rumors, most of which are laughable and never going to happen.
Our friends at Bleacher Report were at it again, coming up with three trades that the Pistons should want no part of. Here they are, along with why Detroit should run away.
Detroit Pistons trade #1
The first is also the worst, and if the Pistons even considered this, I’d stage a protest outside of Little Caesar’s Arena.
Ugh, hold on whilst I go vomit.
I’m not even going to talk about Bridges the repeated woman beater, but Bridges the basketball player, who actually isn’t all that good at basketball.
He averages 18 points per game on over 15 shots, is shooting 42 percent from the field and a whopping 29 percent from long range, but at least he still has the confidence to hoist nearly seven of them a game.
To be completely honest, I wouldn’t trade any one of the three pieces they are suggesting here for Bridges. Stewart is a more impactful player and losing him would leave the Pistons very thin at center.
THJ has been an amazing veteran leader who has hit a ton of big shots and won two games for the Pistons since Jaden Ivey went down. The 2nd-round pick comes from Toronto and would currently be 34th.
Why would I trade any of that just to disrupt the team chemistry for a guy who isn’t any good and has major red flags when it comes to his character? Oh, and if you wanted to make offseason additions you can forget about it, as Bridges is owed $25 and 22 million per season for the two after this one.
Pound for pound this is one of the worst trades I’ve seen so far this year. Well done!
Detroit Pistons trade #2
Ah, so Brandon Ingram, who is miles better than Miles Bridges, can be had for the same price? Interesting theory. Out of the three trades, this is the only one that isn’t laughable, but I’d still walk away.
My first job in sports writing was covering the Pelicans and I can tell you without hesitation that they were the most depressing team to cover, even worse than last year’s Pistons.
Why? They were never healthy. Like never.
I used to be able to count on one hand how many games Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson had played together and not much has changed.
Ingram has missed more than half the games in this season, including the last 16 and is set to miss another one tonight.
I like BI’s game and I like him as a person. He’s a dawg who plays hard and wants to win, but he’s always hurt. Trajan Langdon knows this even better than me, as he had to try and navigate a team with Zion, BI and Lonzo, three of the most injury-prone players in the league.
If I’m trading for BI, I’m not giving up Stewart to do it, and at this point, I’d rather have THJ, who at least suits up every night, isn’t a black hole on offense and has been a positive in the locker-room.
Again, why mess up the team chemistry for a guy who has been out for over a month and counting and thinks he’s getting a max contract at the end of the season? Do you want to pay Ingram $50+ million per season for the next 4-5 years? Me either.
Detroit Pistons trade #3:
I wonder sometimes if anyone writing these pays attention. Kuzma has been awful this season, averaging 14.5 points per game, just off his career low, while shooting 43 percent from the field and 25 percent from long range.
Whose spot is he taking? Tobias Harris has been far better this season. And why does he cost more than BI? I don’t get it.
The Pistons do need more talent and another star, but right now they are surging, just a game out of the 5th spot and don’t need to disrupt that for a cancer, a player who is always injured or one who isn’t very good.