We’ve spent most of the offseason so far debating whether the Detroit Pistons should trade for a star player this summer.
The question isn’t only whether they should, but if they can, as the Pistons lack one of the most important necessities when it comes to making a big trade, which is tradable contracts.
To make a big deal, teams need talent and draft picks of course, but they also need contracts that can be stacked to match salaries, which is something they currently lack.
The Pistons will have two big deals next season (Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris) and then a bunch of guys still on their rookie deals.
Because it’s so hard to get equal value for young players on rookie deals, teams need contracts in the $10-15 million range to make up the difference, and other than Isaiah Stewart, the Pistons don’t have any of those.
The Pistons would have to give up 3-4 players at least to match the salary of a star on a max deal, which makes trades more difficult. You may think guys like Ausar Thompson, Ron Holland, Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey can be the basis of a big trade, but they only make around $33 million combined next season, so Detroit needs bigger deals they can add to the pot.
Detroit Pistons: Value and tradable deals
The most important thing for the Detroit Pistons to avoid this summer is a bad contract. They don’t currently have one on the books and the goal should be to keep it that way.
Value will be the key word this offseason, as the Pistons want to maintain the success they’ve had but also stay flexible for the future, which means signing deals that will be easy to move and conducive to a big trade.
Guys like Malik Beasley and Dennis Schroder likely fit into this category, as they will be on deals under $20 million and have known skillsets teams covet. Keep those deals short-term term and they’d be easy to move.
It also means not overpaying in extensions for Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, as those two guys could be eventual centerpieces of a trade, but only if they represent value.
When the Pistons are looking to add players this summer, it’s not only about adding talent, it’s about adding the types of tradable contracts necessary to eventually make a big move, whether that comes at next year’s trade deadline or later.