Ranking the Detroit Pistons' top 3 trade targets

#1: Karl-Anthony Towns 

The KAT trade seems inevitable, though we have thought that before. 

Minnesota has a hefty payroll, a position they are not used to being in, but now that they are good, perhaps they won’t mind as much. 

But Minnesota is a second-apron team, meaning they have significant limitations, as second-apron teams can’t use cash in trades or aggregate salaries for one player. 

The Pistons would almost certainly have to part with one of Isaiah Stewart or Jalen Duren, perhaps another young player and/or picks, depending on how much Minnesota values financial flexibility. 

This is why Tobias Harris’ deal was sneaky good for Detroit, as his salary is big enough to use in a trade like this, but doesn’t extend long term and he can still play. Harris and one of Stewart/Duren is the start of a package for KAT. 

Towns has proven himself to be one of the elite offensive players in the league, shooting 50/41/87 last season and narrowly missing becoming the first center in the 50/40/90 club. 

His deal runs four more seasons, so Detroit would be getting the rest of his prime and KAT and Cade would be devastating in the pick-and-roll. 

KAT has improved defensively, showing that he can be a part of a quality defense with a 108 rating last season. 

He has injury concerns, but if the Pistons want to shake things up and put a team on the floor that can compete for the playoffs, KAT would be a nice get. Minnesota has shown you can build around two elite offensive players and a bunch of defenders, so a trade for KAT would put Detroit on that path.