The Detroit Pistons need to work on their roster this summer. And if they wanted to make a big-swing move, helping Cade Cunningham follow in the path of Luka Doncic could be a smart way to do it. Trading for a shot-creating, shot-making guard to pair next to Cunningham in the backcourt would be smart, much like when the Dallas Mavericks traded for Kyrie Irving.
So, why not trade for Irving? Obviously, it’s not perfect, and Irving will be coming off an injury, but it’s a concept that already worked once. Doncic and Irving went to the NBA Finals together. Who’s to say that Cunningham, Irving, and a team with even better depth than those Mavericks couldn’t do the same?
A Pistons trade for Irving, though imperfect, would help solve the Pistons’ biggest issue.
A Kyrie Irving trade could work for the Pistons
Detroit ran into offensive woes in this year’s playoffs. They just barely squeaked by the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic, and then, they lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games.
No amount of Ausar Thompson’s defensive talent was enough to save them. By the end of their postseason run, it was as clear as ever that the Pistons need more help on the offensive end.
Irving is 34 years old. He tore his ACL in March of 2025 and will be returning to the court for the first time since then when he makes his 2026-27 season debut.
But the Mavs are in a very different place than the Pistons right now. They aren’t ready to compete for a championship. The Pistons are. They just need a bit more help.
So, concocting a trade to bring Irving to Detroit to help Cunningham, much like he helped Doncic (nearly) get over the hump, could be a very interesting idea.
Irving is slated to make $39.5 million next season, so it won’t be easy to trade for him. However, luckily for the Pistons, it’s definitely not impossible.
Adding Duncan Robinson and Caris LeVert’s contracts together would get the job done, and from there, Detroit would just have to throw in the necessary draft capital to get the deal over the finish line.
Throwing out a starting lineup of Cunningham, Irving, Thompson, Tobias Harris, and Jalen Duren would keep the Pistons at the forefront of the NBA’s title race while solving their offensive issues.
Maybe the Pistons want to go younger, but when it comes down to it, this is the type of trade they should be trying to make.
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