The Detroit Pistons have been promising big changes and improvement for years, so fans are rightfully skeptical that it will happen this offseason after being treated to the Joe Harris, Monte Morris debacle last summer.
They did shake up the roster at the deadline, shedding some dead weight, though Troy Weaver once again had to give up assets to do it in the case of Marvin Bagley III, who has played well for the Wizards since the trade after being benched in favor of James Wiseman.
Detroit has a promising core, but they are still very young and need a proven star or two to round out their roster. Their best trade asset is likely their 2024 draft pick, which will almost certainly be in the top-5 for the 4th season in a row.
The Pistons may decide they love someone in this draft and just add another young player, or they could try to use the pick in a trade to land a proven star. There will undoubtedly be some available this summer, though the Pistons will have to wait until draft day if they want to trade their pick.
Here are six players who make sense and might be worth giving up a top-5 pick (plus more) to attain.
Possible star trades for the Detroit Pistons
Brandon Ingram/Zion Williamson
I am going to lump these two together, as one of them is likely to be traded this summer. The Pelicans aren’t a team that is going to pay the luxury tax and their roster is about to get much more expensive, so it makes sense for them to trade one of their two stars, especially considering there are still questions about whether they are a good fit together.
Given his contract (which only has one year remaining), Brandon Ingram is more likely to be moved. I’ve written plenty about Ingram already, so I won’t belabor the point, but a top-5 pick would at least be a starting point for a trade.