The Detroit Pistons are doing everything in their power to organically grow the NBA's next title contender. They might still be on the search for an external accelerator—even if the Giannis dream may already be dead—because in the high-stakes world of ultimate hoops glory, it's best to leave nothing to chance.
Detroit, as you may have heard a time or 20, remains without a full-fledged co-star for Cade Cunningham. And while the rare title team breaks through without multiple elites on the roster (the 2003-04 Pistons wave hello), the Pistons shouldn't bank on their ability to be an exception to the rule.
Especially not when they possess arguably the perfect trade package to pry 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis away from the Dallas Mavericks.
Adding Anthony Davis would make Detroit the favorite to escape the East.
Because the Pistons have all of their own first-round picks, an intriguing collection of up-and-comers, and enough mid-sized salaries to make the money work on just about anything, they could try holding out for an even richer return. Then again, prizes don't get much richer than a healthy AD.
Granted, that healthy qualifier is needed, because the Brow has had more than his share of bouts with the injury bug. Of course, that's also the reason his presumed price tag in a potential trade looks so reasonable. And it clearly hasn't scared off the Pistons, whom ESPN's Shams Charania reported are "expected to be suitors for Davis."
When Davis stays upright long enough, he's usually penciled into both the All-NBA and All-Defensive teams. At 32 years old, it's probably natural to worry about some age-induced decline, but the numbers don't really show it. He outperformed his career averages in points, rebounds, and assists just last season. And he might doing the same right now if he was getting more than his nightly allotment of 29.3 minutes, the fewest he's averaged since his rookie year.
Put him on the same Pistons' frontline as Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren—with Isaiah Stewart ready on the reserve unit—and you probably just spawned the Association's stingiest defense. While there'd be some worry with the offense's spacing, you'd have also just given Cunningham his most scoring support to date.
Davis' average career outing has featured 24.1 points on 52.2 percent shooting. The only 20-point scorer Cunningham has slotted alongside so far was Bojan Bogdanovic, who feasted buffet-style on offensive chances as part of some brutally bad Pistons teams near the start of Cunningham's career.
He and Davis are skilled enough to dazzle even in less-than-ideal offensive conditions. Plus, the Pistons would still have their top three-point threat in Duncan Robinson and just watched the return of another plus-spacer in Marcus Sasser. Detroit would, in other words, still have ways of punishing opponents who overpacked the paint.
And, again, the Pistons would be ridiculous on defense. Between that suffocating superpower and high-end scoring punch, there should be enough two-way talent here for Detroit to cement its spot above the Knicks and Cavaliers in the race for Eastern Conference supremacy.
Dallas would struggle to find a better deal for Davis.
For as much name power as Davis possesses, his trade value will never measure up to expectations.
If his injury worries didn't guarantee that on their own, then the fact he's 32 and owed a colossal amount of cash will seal it. The Mavericks would probably do well, then, to walk away from a Davis deal with a pair of potential building blocks in Ron Holland II and Jaden Ivey, a lightly protected future first, a future second from a Milwaukee team that's one Giannis trade away from total misery, and a usable veteran on an expiring $26.6 million deal in Tobias Harris.
Those are assets Dallas could use to help find its footing after last season's disastrous Luka Doncic deal and start building something of substance around top pick Cooper Flagg. The Mavs should be approaching every transaction with the sole focus of bettering things around Flagg, and this trade would allow them to eventually do that.