Yesterday was the deadline for signing rookie extensions and there were some very good players left without a deal, including Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons and Tari Eason from the Houston Rockets.
The Pistons needed to see more from two players who represent a bit of a throwback in the NBA, as one is a two-guard who can’t defend and one is a center who can’t shoot and isn’t an elite rim protector (yet).
The Pistons have been burned by rewarding these types of players in the past and want more information before they commit, which comes with some risks, but keeps them from getting locked into a bad contract.
The Pistons also have Tobias Harris on an expiring contract, so 3/5ths of their starting five are currently playing out the last years of their deals. We could see some big changes on the Pistons over the coming months and Tari Eason could be part of it.
Eason is a 6-foot-8 jumbo wing who is a very good defender and can shoot the 3-ball a little, so he’d be a nice complement to Cade Cunningham and would fit right into the Pistons’ culture of defense first.
The Pistons could target Eason in a trade, as the Rockets have committed huge money to his position and may not be able to retain him. Both Jabari Smith Jr. and Kevin Durant got extensions this summer, so there may not be room for Eason, who will be in trade rumors at some point this season.
He’s a nice fit for the Pistons, but there is one huge challenge.
Who could the Detroit Pistons trade for Tari Eason?
Adding a young power forward to the core would be ideal but the Pistons will have real challenges to getting it done, namely that their best trade asset is currently injured.
Jaden Ivey is out for at least four weeks and it’s very possible we won’t see him until well into December, which doesn’t give him much time to get back into the flow, play well and show he’s an asset.
The Rockets have no guard depth after Fred VanVleet was unfortunately injured, so swapping Ivey for Eason would theoretically fill holes on both teams, but the Rockets certainly aren’t going to trade for Ivey if he’s barely back from an injury.
This is probably true of any big time trade this season, as the Pistons aren’t going to trade Ausar Thompson, and would be reluctant to give up on Ron Holland, leaving the injured Ivey as their best trade asset.
He’s a trade asset that is depreciating fast and has plenty to prove before any team is going to take that risk, so the Pistons may be stuck playing the waiting game when it comes to adding impact talent to the roster.
They could just wait this out and try to steal Eason in restricted free agency next summer, but they are already going to have plenty of drama with their own RFAs. Next offseason is shaping up to be a dramatic one for the Pistons, who could be retooling a good chunk of their starting five.