Trajan Langdon hasn’t made a monster move yet as president of the Detroit Pistons, but you get the sense it will come at some point.
There are a multitude of players who will be available in trades next season for one reason or another and the Pistons are set up to take advantage.
We recently ranked their top-3 targets, but it’s possible Langdon has other players in mind.
In a recent article in Bleacher Report, the publication named the Pistons as a “sneaky destination” for Karl-Anthony Towns, one of the NBA’s elite offensive centers.
There are reasons that a trade for KAT makes sense for both the Pistons and the Timberwolves.
The Detroit Pistons need another star
The closest thing the Pistons have to a surefire star is Cade Cunningham, who has yet to prove he can stay healthy for a full season or lead a team to victory.
The rest of their roster contains a lot of question marks, with Ausar Thompson probably leading the way as far as prospects who aren’t likely to miss.
Who knows how Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren are going to turn out and Ron Holland II is likely a year or two from making real impact.
The Pistons need star power and KAT is a star, one that happens to complement their other star perfectly. Cade and KAT are a great start of a team, as the Timberwolves have shown you can build around two elite offensive players if you surround them with defenders.
With two potentially elite wing defenders on board with Thompson and Holland to go with Isaiah Stewart, who is like Naz Reid-light, the Pistons would be on their way to mimicking the blueprint that has Minnesota among the best teams in the league.
The Pistons need 3-point shooting
Detroit has added shooting this offseason in Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. At this point in their respective careers, only Beasley is an elite, high-volume shooter and both he and THJ could be traded as expiring contracts at the deadline.
If they are, the Pistons will be back to square one when it comes to long-range shooting, so adding a player like Towns for the next four seasons makes sense. He shot over 41 percent on over five attempts per game last season from 3-point range.
He’s an elite shooter who would dramatically improve the Pistons’ offense and potentially put them in position to compete for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Timberwolves’ financial problems
Are the ‘Wolves going to remain a 2nd-apron team all season? They’ll not only be paying a hefty luxury tax, but will be limited in trades due to the new restrictions.
KAT is a bit of a luxury for a team that already has Gobert and Reid and the Timberwolves have played well without him at times.
A trade with Detroit could send the Pistons the star they need while improving Minnesota’s depth and potentially getting them out from under the second apron.