Heading into the trade deadline, the Pistons must be protective of their young core. Although the team may be seeking to upgrade some roster spots, they should try to avoid trading any key pieces of their young core aside from Jaden Ivey. The Pistons should not be offering players like Ron Holland II and Isaiah Stewart up in trades unless the return will truly move the needle.
The Pistons need to maintain the core of their team
It's true that the Pistons still have their flaws and a trade is an excellent way to address them. But the success of their current group also can't be ignored. Even with their lack of shooting and secondary creation, the Pistons have been dominant this season - especially when healthy. Almost halfway through the season, they are still first in the East while having an extremely low payroll and young team.
The Pistons also have some potential solutions to fundamental problems on their team already. Whether it's shooting, creation or perimeter defense, there are guys on the roster who can step up to fill the voids when needed. And the Pistons have been so good in other aspects, namely interior defense and rim finishing, that their weaknesses haven't dragged them down.
Unfortunately, Ivey has played his way into being a viable trade candidate. He's been the most disappointing member of the Pistons' young core this season and struggled to find his role on the team. It's not entirely his fault, as a catastrophic injury cost him many months of playing time while the team found their winning formula.
But Ivey has also failed to establish himself in the Pistons rotation since returning to the court. His play has been inconsistent and hasn't fit into the Pistons' style perfectly. Unlike other young pieces who can usually fall back on their size and physical defense to make an impact, Ivey is more of a one-way player on offense. He's also looked a step slower this season and hasn't been as good attacking the rim.
On the other hand, players like Holland and Stewart are having a huge impact that doesn't show up on the stat sheet. Their defense has been suffocating at times and led to easy baskets for the Pistons after stops and takeaways. The Pistons can't afford to lose them for a meager return, especially halfway through their best season in nearly 2 decades.
We all know that the Pistons' most untradable players are Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson. But with their level of success this season, that circle needs to expand to Holland and Stewart as well in most trade talks. It'll take a lot to pry either one from the Pistons' hands. Unfortunately for Jaden Ivey, that might leave him as the trade bait in a major move.