6 Detroit Pistons at risk of being traded this summer

Jalen Duren

This is an extreme longshot, and the only way I could see it happening is if the Pistons got a chance to trade for an All-Star level forward and the other team coveted Duren, aka the New Orleans Pelicans scenario.

Duren hasn't made the kind of progress on defense the Pistons hoped to see, but he's also 20 years old and already one of the best rebounders in the Eastern Conference. But does he have another level defensively? If not, Detroit could sell high this summer, especially if there is a star player available. This is another long shot and a lot of wild hypotheticals would have to come to fruition for it to happen.

But what is clear is that the Pistons can't give a max or near-max extension to a center that is not a high level shooter or defender. We've been down this road with Andre Drummond and it didn't end well.

Jaden Ivey

The Detroit Pistons seem happy and comfortable with Jaden Ivey and Cade Cunningham as their backcourt, but there are still questions about the long-term viability of this duo.

The ideal shooting guard next to Cade Cunningham is a guy like peak Klay Thompson, a lights-out 3-point shooter who defends the position well, which is not how you would describe Jaden Ivey.

Ivey has also been in a huge slump of late, hitting just 37 percent of his shots and only 23 percent from long-range. The addition of Quentin Grimes could make Ivey expendable, in which case he'd be the Pistons' biggest trade chip.

There's also the issue of his next contract, as both Ivey and Duren will be up for rookie extensions next summer after Cade Cunningham gets his this summer, which would be a ton of money tied up in three young players who have not won anything. Would the Pistons be better off spreading some of that money around, or giving it to a more proven player, or giving it to a guy who is a clearer fit with Cunningham? I think those are all fair questions when you look at the financial challenges the Pistons are facing over the next several seasons.

None of these players are clear trade possibilities but there are scenarios where any of them could be moved, even one of the core guys as the Pistons try to upgrade and balance their roster.