The Detroit Pistons have done a great job of navigating the slow-and-steady path to NBA contention. If they want to reach for the fast-forward button, though, that option is suddenly staring them in the face. Two-time MVP and all-the-time Destroyer of Galaxies Giannis Antetokounmpo is seemingly up for grabs, and the Pistons just might have the goods to get him.
It'd be bold, it'd be a bit risky, and it'd be all the way fascinating. It could also be a true fortune-changer for this franchise, which is 20 years removed from its last venture to the championship stage. And here's how it could happen.
This feels like the kind of pitch that will make Pistons fans scream about it being too much while Bucks fans are complaining that it's not enough. If both sides are complaining, though, that generally means you've found the right middle ground on negotiating.
The cost is steep for the Pistons. Ausar Thompson is a 99th percentile athlete with major two-way playmaking ability and a future that'll remain bright even if he never develops as a distance shooter. He's the kind of player who makes things easier on everyone around him (yes, even with the spacing limitations), which is the mark of either a star role player or just an outright star.
He's also just 22 years old with both this season and next left on his rookie contract. In terms of prospects, he might be the best that the Bucks can hope to get.
Milwaukee must be huge fans of his for this to work, but it's easy to understand why it might be. The rest of the package doesn't have nearly the same luster—Jaden Ivey and Tobias Harris both being on expiring deals helps, though you'd think the Bucks would plan on keeping the former if they took this offer—but those down-the-road future firsts may increase in value if Detroit attempted this type of acceleration.
It's a significant offer. It's also probably the baseline of what'll be required to pry Antetokounmpo away from the Bucks, unless he manipulates the market by making his preferred destination publicly known.
And it's probably a price worth paying for the Pistons, who have to be wondering (if not worrying) whether they have enough scoring and star power around Cade Cunningham to actually compete for a championship. Bring in Antetokounmpo, and those concerns are immediately erased.
Cunningham and Antetokounmpo are individually equipped to carry an offense, but together they might be more potent than ever. Their two-man actions could be the best in basketball. Cunningham sits on the highest end of shot-creators, and Antetokounmpo is the most ferocious finisher around.
Detroit's trademark tenacious defense might manage to become even stingier after this swap, too. Thompson is a feisty defender, but Antetokounmpo is a world-class stopper (with the accolades to prove it). Slot him alongside Jalen Duren, and you have just created the real-life version of the proverbial immovable object. Put Isaiah Stewart in Duren's place, and that's a front line opposing perimeter players may never even try to challenge.
There'd be spacing concerns with the offense, and the Pistons might have some pause about their ability to convince Antetokounmpo to stick around after 2027 (when he's able to enter free agency). Neither risk seems scary enough to suggest Detroit should do anything other than try to add one of the planet's best players to its ascending roster.