If the Detroit Pistons want to make a big move at the trade deadline, they will likely have to sacrifice a young player with upside, which is what the Clippers had to do when they traded Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and five first-round picks to the Thunder in exchange for Paul George.
At the time, the move made some sense for LA, as they were hunting the title, and Paul George was a player who could help push them over the top. Most people focused on the picks and not SGA, who was somewhat of an afterthought, as he was just off his rookie season in which he averaged 10 points per game.
Let’s recap how that deal has worked out for both teams.
The Thunder used one of the picks they received from LA to draft Jalen Williams, who was All-NBA and All-Defense last season, helping the Thunder to win a title.
They used the other picks mostly to gain more future draft assets and still have one left to use from LA in the 2026 draft, which would currently be the 10th pick.
And you might have heard of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who won the MVP last season and a title at age 26 and may be on his way to one more of each this season.
Paul George did make some All-Star teams for the Clippers, but he also missed a ton of games, ate up a ton of cap space and was never able to get LA over the hump. The Clippers “super” team never made it out of the conference finals.
Paul George played just 38 playoff games for the Clippers, a number SGA has already surpassed.
It was a trade that made sense at the time, but one that left the Clippers in the spot you never want to be in, which is a team with an expensive roster that is not good enough to win a title.
It’s something the Pistons should consider as the trade deadline approaches.
The Detroit Pistons don’t want to regret being impatient
The two situations are not the same, as LA was a veteran team looking for a final piece, while the Pistons are still a young team whose players have not even reached their prime years.
But with most trade proposals sending out everyone from Jaden Ivey to Ausar Thompson, there are similarities, in that the Pistons would be shipping out cost-controlled potential for a win-now move.
I am not suggesting Jaden Ivey is going to turn into Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but he’s a player with big upside who has had circumstances go against him over the last few seasons between poor coaching and injuries.
We’ve not yet seen his best, so while Ivey may not go on to be an MVP, it would be painful to watch him blow up on another team in the right situation, especially if they sold him off for short-term gains that aren’t enough to get them over the top anyway.
The Clippers chased an upgrade and ended up giving away an MVP and helping to create a juggernaut in OKC, but that fact would look less painful if the Clippers had banked a title or two.
Trajan Langdon’s biggest challenge will be balancing the reward of a short-term upgrade vs. the risk of the long-term effects.