Possible Pistons trade target suffers potentially devastating injury

The Detroit Pistons may have to rely on trades for the necessary additions of talent they need to make this team competitive next season.

We've started putting together lists of stars that could be available whether they are unhappy with their current situation (I'm sure coming to Detroit would help!) or on teams ready for rebuilds or ones that are in financial dilemmas.

The Pistons may have to use their draft pick and one of their young players to get a more established, complementary player, as the free-agency class is not great and this draft is a complete crapshoot.

The New Orleans Pelicans are a team that may need to trade one of their forwards to stay out of the tax, but unfortunately, a devastating injury may have put any such plans on hold.

*Update: Since the writing of this, Ingram has been diagnosed with a bone contusion and is expected to miss two weeks.

The Detroit Pistons and Brandon Ingram

Brandon Ingram is the most likely Pelicans player to be traded this summer, as Zion is still under contract for several more years and is playing like an All-NBA talent right now.

It will be tough for them to have two players potentially on super max deals and still keep all of their young guys, so with only one year left on his deal, Ingram seems the most likely to go.

But last night, he went down with a leg injury that looked absolutely horrible when it happened. Ingram was able to walk off with help, which is a good sign, but otherwise this doesn't look good:

I used to cover the Pelicans and still have a soft spot for them, so I feel terrible for Ingram and their fans, as the Pels are playing well right now, and look like a team that could make some noise in the playoffs.

But if Ingram has to miss significant time, those plans are dampened, so hopefully, it's a minor injury that only requires rest and not surgery, which might allow him to return.

If he has to miss the rest of the season, or have offseason surgery, the chances of him getting traded are slim and none and it would be more likely that he'd enter next season on an expiring contract.

The Pelicans can't catch a break, but this injury could also affect the Pistons, who will potentially have one less player to pursue in a trade this offseason.