The Detroit Pistons have a chance to nail their first big-swing trade for a Cade Cunningham co-star this summer. The Dallas Mavericks tried Kristaps Porzingis for Luka Doncic, then they pivoted to Kyrie Irving. The Minnesota Timberwolves tried Rudy Gobert, and then they added Julius Randle. Neither team’s moves panned out, but the Pistons can be different.
Both the Mavericks and the Wolves failed to capitalize on their first big-swing trades to help out their stars. Since then, Dallas has traded Doncic, and now, the Wolves are looking to shake things up again. Detroit’s first chance at a big trade to help Cunningham is this summer.
They need to get it right.
Pistons need to nail Cade Cunningham co-star trade
When the Mavericks realized they had a superstar in Doncic, they didn’t waste much time trying to bring him a co-star. They traded for Porzingis in a deal with the New York Knicks.
Obviously, that didn’t work out, and they ended up trading Porzingis before eventually landing on Irving as the next co-star for Doncic. And that works. Until it didn’t.
Doncic and Irving made the NBA Finals together, losing in five games to the Boston Celtics. Then, the very next year, Dallas decided to trade Doncic in a shocking deal.
Then, there are the Wolves. They traded for Gobert to be their starting center next to Karl-Anthony Towns. When that team flamed out in the Western Conference finals, they traded KAT for Randle.
Now, after a second-round exit, the Timberwolves are reportedly looking to shake things up once again, and both Randle and Gobert could be on the trade block this summer.
It’s time for the Pistons to make their Porzingis trade for Cunningham. Their Gobert trade for Cunningham. Their first chance at landing a co-star for their franchise superstar.
But it can’t be Porzingis. It can’t be Gobert. It can’t be a deal that ultimately sees the Pistons fall short. They need to do a better job at setting themselves – and Cunningham – up for the future.
They cannot squander years of Cunningham as the Mavs did with Doncic and the Wolves did with Edwards.
Those two teams made deep playoff runs. Conference finals runs. An NBA Finals run. But neither Doncic nor Edwards has brought home the Larry O’Brien trophy yet. And that’s the ultimate goal.
That’s what the Pistons are striving for, and the big-swing trade they make (likely this summer) will be a crucial building block toward achieving that goal.
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