Even though the Detroit Pistons have repeatedly said they will be patient this summer, they continue to be a mainstay in trade rumors, including those for Kevin Durant.
That fire was stoked this week when several national pundits named Detroit as one of their favorite destinations for Durant. Keep in mind that this wasn’t based on intel from the Pistons or anyone else but were just opinions about where KD would best fit.
There’s also the reality of trading for Durant, which is daunting given his age and the price of acquiring him, which would require at least three players (or a third team), and you can be certain that the Suns would want a couple of young guys.
For the right deal Durant is a no-brainer, as even at 36, he is still an elite scorer.
Here are some numbers to consider from ESPN:
“Durant...made his 15th All-Star team this season and averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 62 games. The future Hall of Famer has averaged at least 25 points, 50% shooting and 40% on 3-pointers in three straight seasons, the longest streak ever in the NBA, according to ESPN Research. As a shooter, Durant remains prolific: He shot an NBA-best on jumpers (49.7%) and midrange shots (53.1%). He also had the best shooting percentage on off-the-dribble jumpers (50.9%), according to GeniusIQ.”
Any team that trades for Durant will likely want him to agree to a two-year extension, so we are talking about three years at the back end of one of the greatest scorers in NBA history’s career. What that is worth is anyone’s guess, but the Pistons clearly can’t gut their roster for a guy who will be 37 in September.
But it’s also clear why they are being mentioned as a possibility.
The Detroit Pistons don’t have an established number two
The new CBA has killed the era of the “Big 3”, but you still need star power to make deep runs in the playoffs. Both Finals teams have their superstar guards but also have a second option behind them to go with quality depth.
The Pistons don’t yet have that guy, though Trajan Langdon said recently that he doesn’t think it’s a problem, as that player could emerge internally from the group of Ausar Thompson, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren or Ron Holland II.
Whether any of those players end up being good enough to be the second-best player on a title team is yet to be seen, but until one of them does, it’s clear why the Pistons are going to be mentioned in rumors for star trades.
The idea of pairing Cade Cunningham with another superstar is appealing, especially when there is a Hall of Famer sitting there, but the Pistons aren’t going to gut their young roster to chase a guy pushing 40, so even though these rumors make sense, they are still firmly in the “galactic long shot” category.