The Detroit Pistons have won fewer than 80 games in the last four seasons combined and something has to change.
Many would point the finger directly at Troy Weaver and the front office, which has done nothing to improve the roster around draft picks who are all in their early 20s.
Teams need a mixture of ages and experience levels, but so far the Pistons have gone with very young or too old, missing on the meaty middle portion of the age demographic that represents most of the best players in the league.
Hoarding top-5 draft picks has never been a way to success in the NBA, so it's time the Pistons look to use some of their young players and draft capital to shake things up.
Detroit Pistons draft: A trade is necessary
The Pistons are limited because of the draft pick they owe the Knicks, but they can trade their 2024 pick on draft day, as they will essentially be trading the rights to a player and not the pick itself.
That pick will be in the top five and represents one of their best assets, even in a weaker draft.
If the Pistons could package this draft pick (plus another they can trade in 2029) with one or more of their young players, they might be able to get an established player instead of a prospect or guy way past his prime.
There is one who immediately springs to mind, but it won't be easy for the Detroit Pistons to get him.
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Detroit Pistons: Trading Jaden Ivey for a more complementary player
Whether you think Jaden Ivey is going to be a star or not, there is no indication yet that he is a good fit with Cade Cunningham or ever will be.
This is part of the tough conversation the Pistons need to have about Ivey, as pairing him with their draft assets may be the best way to land an impact player this summer who better fits the rest of their rotation.
Here is the scaffolding of a trade that might work for the Pistons, though they would likely have to add more:
In this trade, the Pistons send Ivey and two picks (one of which is guaranteed to be in the top five) for Mikal Bridges.
First off, this might not be enough to land Bridges, as the Nets reportedly turned down a similar package from Houston, though the Pistons' picks might be more appealing.
The Pistons may have to throw in another young player, perhaps Isaiah Stewart, which would make this trade more painful. Ivey, Stewart and two picks, one of which is a top-five, is a pretty good package for Bridges and one the Nets might be more open to considering after a season in which they are going to fail to make the play in. The Pistons could also throw in a pick swap or two if necessary.
Brooklyn doesn't have a pick in 2024, so grabbing one of the top five guys might have some appeal if they think a rebuild is in the cards.
This is the type of deal that the Detroit Pistons must explore this summer, as their core isn't working and adding another teenager to it is just more of the same failed strategy.
Bridges also happens to be the perfect player for the Pistons, just imagine...
The Detroit Pistons and Mikal Bridges
Putting Bridges next to Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson immediately gives the Pistons more size on the perimeter and a formidable defense.
Bridges may not be the all-world defender he once was, but he's miles better than Ivey will ever be and he and Ausar would provide elite versatility. It would also give them a starting five where every player is at least 6-foot-6, eliminating some of the problems they have now, as the Pistons have two undersized guards making it difficult to stagger Cunningham and Ivey.
Bridges is also on a great contract (part of the reason the Nets are reluctant to trade him) that would still leave the Pistons plenty of money to sign an impact free agent or fill out their roster with quality role players.
Bridges is a 38 percent 3-point shooter for his career, so he also helps the spacing and shooting as well as the defense. He's the right age and gives the Pistons a better mixture of youth and experience in the starting five, something they desperately need.
I've had a lot of people tell me Bridges has taken a step back this season, but he's currently being asked to be the number one guy when he slots in better as a number two next to a player like Cade Cunningham. And he's still averaging over 20 per game in a "step back" season.
Bridges' 3-point percentage is down slightly to 36.5 percent this season, but he is launching more than seven per game, the highest of his career, so that's not a bad percentage considering the volume. Ivey is shooting under five per game and only hitting 32 percent of them on the season.
Bridges also shoots 38 percent on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, five percent better than Ivey.
The Pistons can't run this team back and expect different results, so trading one of their "core" along with their pick might be the best way to get the impact player they need while better balancing the roster with some age and experience that is not well past its prime.