3 Problems with a potential blockbuster trade between Pistons and Hawks

With the trade deadline rapidly approaching, the Detroit Pistons have found themselves in plenty of trade rumors.

They've been mentioned as sellers, with Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks garnering the most interest, but also as buyers, though the list of players they could pursue just got a little smaller after Pascal Siakam was traded to the Pacers.

Most recently, the Pistons have been mentioned as a suitor for Dejounte Murray, the latest rumor coming from insider Ian Begley.

Murray is a very good player (hit a game winner at the buzzer last night) but there are big questions about fit and what it would cost to attain him that make any trade with the Hawks problematic.

The Detroit Pistons shouldn't trade Jaden Ivey to get Dejounte Murray

I like Murray, and in a vacuum, I'd like to have him on the Pistons. He's a versatile guard who defends and he's on a manageable contract.

But the Pistons already have two young guards who have shown flashes of stardom in Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey. As we saw with Ivey last night, he can be every bit the player that Murray is at times, and he is on a rookie deal and wants to be in Detroit, things you can't say about Murray, who already said he'd prefer to go to a team that is ready to contend.

Adding Murray might move the needle slightly for the Pistons, but it still doesn't address their biggest need and gives up on a player in Ivey who could be a future star.

If you've read this space enough, you know I am not all-in on the Ivey/Cunningham pairing, and if the Pistons could find a quality wing or power forward by trading Ivey, I wouldn't be against it.

But trading Ivey for another guard just doesn't make sense, as Ivey has the potential to make an All-Star team or two himself and isn't locked into a deal that pays him $25-31 million over the next four seasons.

But what if the Pistons could get Murray without giving up Jaden Ivey?