The only thing to look forward to with the present-day Detroit Pistons is the future.
The Pistons are the worst team in the league again, on a three-game slide before the All-Star break after playing some of their best basketball of the season with a shorthanded roster.
Detroit made sweeping changes at the trade deadline, but they still need talent and Troy Weaver will be under pressure to make a big move if he is the one making the decisions. The Pistons only have six players under contract for next season, so there is plenty of work to be done.
The Pistons will once again have a huge amount of cap space, but there are limited free agents, which led some to speculate that Tobias Harris would be the primary target.
No offense to Harris, but there are some questions about fit and whether he would really move the needle, especially if he’s eating up a big chunk of cap space.
The Pistons' best chance to land a star is to trade for one and there may be some interesting names available.
NBA rumors: Possible trade target for the Detroit Pistons
In a recent article, The Ringer speculated about which stars may become available this summer, including one name in particular who may interest the Detroit Pistons.
"The same goes for the rising New Orleans Pelicans, who have three pricey stars and a surplus of talented young players who will be getting big raises soon—a major strain for a small-market team that’s allergic to paying the luxury tax. “New Orleans has to make a decision between Zion [Williamson] and [Brandon] Ingram,” said an Eastern Conference exec. “I think that happens this summer."
The question is whether that Eastern Conference exec was Troy Weaver.
The Pistons need a star forward and both Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram qualify. Ingram seems the more likely to be traded, given his age and contract, as well as the fact that Zion is a huge draw under contract for four more seasons at what now seems like a reasonable price.
On paper, Ingram would be perfect for the Pistons, but he does come with pros and cons and what would it take to get him?