The Pistons saw the limitations of their current roster construction during their playoff struggles. Even though their young roster still has time to grow and improve, but Detroit must explore alternatives on the trade market for some key players too. In particular, the two names that stand out for the Pistons to shop around are Jalen Duren (in a sign and trade) and Ron Holland II.
Jalen Duren
By now, it's no secret that Jalen Duren had one of the worst playoff drops in recent memory. If he had played anything close to his regular season level, the Pistons are likely in the conference finals at this point. You would hope that Duren's shortcomings were the result of nerves in his first playoff run with serious expectations.
But there are serious questions about how Duren can adapt to playoff defenses with the size and strategy to take away his biggest physical advantages. He will always see tougher coverages in the postseason than what he encountered in the regular season this year. And as it stands today, Duren has shown no signs of adding the wrinkles - outside shooting, reliable ball handling or a go-to post game - needed from a true second star.
Duren's trade value is likely near its lowest following his playoff collapse, but some teams in desperate need of size may still be interested. For example, teams like the Lakers or Celtics lack solid centers but have plenty of perimeter players that the Pistons would covet. Trading Duren now would be a bold move and a far reach from Duren, but it's worth a call to potential suitors.
Ron Holland II
Holland is still only 20 years old, but has shown very few signs of offensive progression in his first two seasons. In the playoffs, he hardly got any playing time because head coach JB Bickerstaff couldn't trust his lack of shooting against playoff defenses. Although Holland has great defensive value, his offense is so poor that it makes him a liability in the most important part of the season.
Pistons fans often get defensive of Holland as a trade chip because of his age and theoretical ceiling, but it's becoming time to accept that he probably won't ever become a valuable scorer or shooter. Holland has been one of the worst 3-point shooters, hitting just 25% of his career looks, since he entered the NBA. He brings great tenacity and hustle, but that's not enough to secure his place on a potential title contender.
Breaking apart the young core is always a hard thing to stomach, but the time may have come for the Pistons. At the very least, expect a lot of trade speculation this summer.
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