With cap space, young players and movable contracts, the Detroit Pistons are in position to make a big trade soon.
Trajan Langdon has made it clear he’s not going to rush things, so the most likely scenario for this season is that the Pistons take on salary dumps for assets and try to move Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley at the trade deadline for more future picks.
But those certainly aren’t the only scenarios, as financial challenges and/or underachieving could cause teams to move off high-paid players, in which case an opportunity might arise for the Detroit Pistons.
This can and will change as things develop, but here are the top three trade targets for the Pistons next season as of right now.
#3: Detroit Pistons trade targets: 2025 1st-round picks
The Pistons still owe the Knicks a 1st-round pick in 2025 that is protected 1-13, so there is a good chance Detroit will keep it. If not, it means they drastically improved, which would be great.
But they are limited in trading picks until that one is conveyed, so picking up another 1st-round pick next season should be a priority.
Not only is the draft loaded with potential stars, but the Pistons could potentially leverage the much-sought-after 2025 picks in a trade if they were to acquire another one.
They have a lot of ways to do this: They could trade one of Jaden Ivey or Jalen Duren, which is a possibility if some team puts a 2025 lottery pick on the table. I’m not so sure anyone will, so it may be a moot point.
They could also potentially use all of their second-round picks to move into the back end of the first round, which is a more likely scenario as teams above the tax aprons look to avoid guaranteed money.
Detroit could also take on a cumbersome contract in exchange for a first-round pick, a scenario that is less likely now that they are down to just over $10 million in cap space.
It may not be as exciting as landing a start player, but adding another first-round pick in 2025 would give the Pistons extra shots at elite talent or put them in a position to make a big trade in the future.