We know NBA trade rumor season is upon us when we start seeing loads of trade proposals that are never going to happen, and some of them this season include Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons.
The Pistons are again the worst team in the league, so it makes sense that teams (and their fans) might come sniffing around Detroit's best player and the guy they are building their team around.
Between injuries and complete incompetence when it comes to roster building, Detroit hasn't done that so far, which leaves some wondering if they would cash in Cade Cunningham to the highest bidder and start over.
Before we get to the trade, here are a couple of reasons that it is not going to happen.
The Detroit Pistons aren't trading Cade Cunningham
You can never 100 percent rule things out in the NBA, as you never know how things could change, but there is no reason to believe the Detroit Pistons would consider trading Cade Cunningham.
They'd never get equal value for a former #1 pick who has very much looked the part for most of this season, even with his turnover issues and sometimes-porous defense. Cunningham is not only talented on the court but has the demeanor you want in a franchise player.
Even if the Pistons were guaranteed another number-one pick in return in the 2024 NBA Draft, who exactly are they going to take with that pick? There is nothing resembling a consensus about who the best player in this draft is, you can't even get experts to agree on a top-3.
Cunningham wants to be in Detroit (or at least claims to), has embraced the fanbase and has flashed signs of superstardom this season.
Trading him would be yet another admission of guilt and leave the Pistons with nothing to build around but future hope. I know there are some VERY outspoken fans on a certain social media platform who tell me daily how much they want to trade Cade, but that sentiment is thankfully not shared by the front office.
That said, let's take a look at the proposal.
Detroit Pistons trade proposal sends Cade Cunningham to the San Antonio Spurs
This one was the brainchild of our friends over at Hoops Habit, who came up with a whole article of trade proposals for the San Antonio Spurs. Given that context, they were likely trying to help the Spurs more than the Pistons, which they do with this trade proposal:
*The original proposal included Marvin Bagley III, who has since been traded to Washington, so I swapped him out with Knox to make the money work. With MBIII, this would be slightly better for Detroit, as at least they'd be getting some future salary relief.
Given his injury history, this would likely represent one of the better deals the Pistons could get if they lost their minds and decided to trade their best player.
Johnson is a steady wing on a good contract, and the 2024 pick will be in the top five, but that's where it ends from the Pistons' point of view.
This makes loads of sense for the Spurs, who have a ton of future picks and would love an actual point guard to pair with Victor Wembanyama. Those two would instantly be good together, believe me, I spent a year dreaming about it.
But this wouldn't be nearly enough for the Pistons to take this kind of gamble.
I repeat: The Detroit Pistons aren't trading Cade Cunningham to the Spurs
Keldon Johnson is a solid player, and a guy the Detroit Pistons could pursue if the Spurs make him available, but if they do, Cade Cunningham will not be involved.
Just from a PR perspective, this would be a disaster for the Pistons, as the hope of Cunningham evolving into the star the team needs is one of the only things keeping fans interested. How could Troy Weaver defend trading his #1 pick before he's even in his 4th season? He couldn't, so he'd have to hand in his resignation along with the trade proposal.
The 2024 pick will be a top-five choice, but who cares? This isn't a good draft, and while there will certainly be some good players in it, possibly even a superstar, next year's draft is an even bigger crapshoot than usual. Do you trust the Pistons to find the diamond in the rough? Me either. The only thing appealling about this pick is that it would give the Pistons two in the top-5, which would allow them to trade one of them in a big deal, but who are they bringing back that is better than Cade?
The Bulls' pick in 2025, when there are a few more potential stars, is top-10 protected, so even if the Bulls blow it up and tank next season, it wouldn't benefit Detroit.
The 2027 pick from Atlanta has no protections, but as long as they have Trae Young, the Hawks will at least be around where they are now, which is a middling team in the play-in tournament at the back end of the lottery. No thanks.
The San Antonio Spurs are one of the few teams that could put together a proposal for Cade Cunningham that the Pistons would at least listen to, but this one isn't getting them in the door.