Back in 2018, the Detroit Pistons had a boring roster that was hovering around the 9th seed in the Eastern Conference. They were the definition of mediocre.
Detroit then made the bold choice to try and break out of it by trading for oft-injured superstar Blake Griffin, who gave the Pistons one amazing season that ultimately ended in a first-round playoff sweep.
Griffin was never healthy after carrying the Pistons to the playoffs on one leg, so Detroit sacrificed a lot for one year and a first-round playoff exit.
The Pistons’ roster is much different now, as they are building around young cornerstones Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey, and they had no one like that back in 2018.
But could the Pistons also go all-in on a trade move that would have short-term gains but may burn them in the long run?
Bleacher Report threw out a doozy in their most recent installment of questionable trade suggestions, this one with a whole lot of Blake Griffin vibe around it.
Detroit Pistons trade rumors: Kawhi Leonard
Could the Pistons trade for another always-injured superstar in Kawhi Leonard? Bleacher Report threw out this possible deal:
Pistons get: Kawhi Leonard
Clippers get: Tobias Harris, Isaiah Stewart, Ron Holland, 2030 pick swap
Talk about bold.
The Pistons are currently 5-8 and this is the type of deal that could theoretically speed up their timeline, but one that is so fraught with problems that I don’t know where to begin.
Why the Pistons walk away
Easy. Leonard hasn’t even played this season and is still set to miss several more weeks and who knows what that really means.
His injury history is well established and isn’t likely to improve given he is now 33-years-old.
And would Kawhi Leonard really be invested in joining a young roster in Detroit? Are we going to get max effort or a grumpy old superstar who would rather sit out and cash checks?
Speaking of checks, Kawhi is owed $50 million a year for this season and two more after it, so you’d be giving up your biggest payroll slot to an injured 33-year-old.
Why the Pistons should go for it
HOWEVER,
Leonard’s injury history isn’t as bad as people make out. He has missed one whole season and most of another, but other than that, he’s been around 60 games a year, including 68 just last season when he made 2nd-team All-NBA.
When Leonard is healthy, he is still that guy, and his game has evolved in ways that make him an even better fit with Cade Cunningham, as he has shot 40 percent or above from 3-point range the last three seasons.
If he’s healthy (which should be his legal first name) Leonard makes the Pistons a playoff contender in the Eastern Conference right away, even subtracting the guys they are giving up.
And what would the Pistons really be giving up here? They keep all of their top prospects (though I love Ron Holland), Tobias Harris is on a short-term deal and Isaiah Stewart is a backup center, which aren’t hard to come by on the cheap.
It would eat into the Pistons’ depth but not into their long-term core outside of Holland.
All that being said, there is no chance in hell I would trade for Kawhi Leonard at this stage in his career if I were the Pistons.
If we could guarantee a healthy, bought in Leonard, then sure, go for it, but if either of those things were guaranteed, he wouldn’t be traded in the first place.
This has Blake Griffin 2.0 written all over it, and while B/R claims this could “accelerate the rebuild,” it could actually have the opposite effect if the Pistons are being held hostage by a guy who makes a huge salary but doesn’t play.
I like the idea, as I am sick of losing, so why not speed things up? But there are stars out there (maybe not as good as Kawhi) who don’t come with so many red flags.