3 Short-term trade targets vs. long-term problems for the Pistons

We are firmly into silly season in the NBA when trade rumors start flying and the Detroit Pistons are likely to be mentioned a lot. 

They are off to a better start and may want to add moderate talent at the deadline or take a swing for a star. 

Detroit has $10 million in cap space and an open roster to play with. 

The Pistons also have veterans on expiring contracts in Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley who are playing well and sure to draw interest, so Detroit is going to be in trade rumors one way or another.

The rumor market has revolved around three players so far, all of whom would help the Pistons in the short term but represent some long-term issues. 

Zach LaVine 

All trade talk leads to Chicago this year, as they have three players they are reportedly trying to move in LaVine, Nikola Vucevic and Lonzo Ball. 

The Bulls are trying to retain their top-10 protected pick in 2025 and these three players will make it tough in the lousy Eastern Conference. 

LaVine is healthy-ish and playing well, averaging over 22 points per game on 50/42/83 shooting splits. In many ways, he’s what the Pistons need as another reliable creator and scorer who can fill in some of the gaps between Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and the rest of the roster, which lacks another creator. 

LaVine is taking and making a ton of threes, and given the Pistons’ offensive stagnation this season, he would help them on that side of the ball. 

He’d be a short-term win. 

But what about the long game? LaVine has two more years on his contract after this one at $45 and 48 million, so you are committing to him being your highest-paid player for the next 2+ seasons. How has that worked out for Chicago? There is a reason they are desperate to trade him while he’s healthy. 

There’s also the toll he takes on player development, as the Pistons would likely have to give up one of their young players plus draft assets to get LaVine and then he’s going to be taking minutes and shots from guys like Jaden Ivey, Ron Holland II and Ausar Thompson. 

Given that Trajan Langdon has made player development/evaluation his priority this season, it’s unlikely he’d blow that all up by trading for LaVine. 

LaVine is a long-term risk because of his money and the ripple effect on the roster, not to mention the ceiling he puts on the team as a guy who has never won anything. 

Nikola Vucevic 

Vooch is shooting the lights out this season, plays a position of need for the Pistons and only has one more year left on his contract, so he’s more appealing than LaVine. 

He’d give the Pistons a true stretch five and in the short term would solve some of their offensive woes. Vucevic would be a short-term win and wouldn’t cost much in terms of trade assets or financial investment. 

But what about the long term? 

Since he only has one year left, Vucevic’s deal would be easy to manage, especially if he is playing at the level he is right now, as he’s a value. 

But he would almost certainly cost the Pistons one of their two current centers, as the Bulls are looking for a center prospect and the Pistons would need to send around $10 million in contracts to the Bulls to make the trade work. 

Long term, are you willing to give up on Isaiah Stewart or Jalen Duren (it would likely be Stewart) for 1+ seasons of Vucevic? Does he really change the ceiling of this team much? Vooch isn’t a good defender and would likely turn Stewart into trade bait or the world’s highest paid third center. 

I am more intrigued with Vucevic, but he too comes with issues and doesn’t significantly raise the Pistons’ ceiling. 

Brandon Ingram 

The Pelicans have been shopping BI again, and haven’t really stopped since last season. 

So far, there are no takers even though Ingram is having a great season, mostly because of his injury history and expiring contract. 

His recent move to Klutch has some thinking Lakers, as that is the exact business move Anthony Davis made before moving from NOLA to LA. 

In the short term, Ingram would definitely help the Pistons as another wing creator/scorer who would take some of the pressure and heat off Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey. 

He’d slide into the starting five, which would be a big upgrade from Tim Hardaway Jr. and push him to the bench (or more likely to New Orleans) and that starting unit would stack up against most of the teams in the East. 

In the short term, he’d be a win. 

In the long term? Woof. 

Ingram wants a max contract, though I am not sure who in the NBA is going to make that offer to him. I like BI, but he’s not worth a max deal. 

Trading for Ingram and then giving him a max extension would be such a Pistons’ move that I am surprised it hasn’t already happened. Overpaying non-All-Stars has been a Pistons' staple during this long playoff drought.

I like Ingram and have watched him play quite a lot, so I can say this with some amount of authority: If he is your highest paid/best player, your team has a very hard ceiling. 

I love Ingram as the third banana on a good team, and who knows, maybe he’d be that in Detroit, but it’s more likely he’d arrive with expectations of being the #1 guy or at worst 1A.

How’s that worked out for New Orleans? You can blame Zion Williamson, who never plays and has never taken the NBA seriously as a job, and I would agree, but Ingram also misses a lot of games and like Zion, can be a ball stopper on offense. 

I’d love Ingram at the right price and it’s possible the market will lead him there, but he’s going to be the #1 free agent next summer, so It's more likely he gets overpaid, as free agents almost always do and the Pistons should want no part of that. 

Give me Ingram on a 3 year/$90 million deal and we are talking, otherwise, I’m not ready to hard cap the team financially or in the standings with a guy who has never won and has been on better rosters than the one the Pistons currently have. 

I get that fans are excited and there is a certain segment that would rather talk trades than watch the games, but any of these three players come with long-term costs that may not be worth the short-term gains. 

I’d rather the Pistons made a move for someone like Dennis Schroder or Lonzo Ball, guys who can help max out this season without any long-term risks.