After failing to come to extension agreements with Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, we know the Detroit Pistons are going to be all over the trade rumor mill for the entire season, and it has started already.
Detroit isn’t going to make any rash moves, and they shouldn’t, as they still need to know more about their young players and so far, the results have been promising. Ausar Thompson looks like a second star, Isaiah Stewart has been great, and Jalen Duren has played well when he can stay on the floor.
Ron Holland appears to be making a leap as well, so the Pistons don’t want to do anything crazy. They also have solid team chemistry and surprisingly decent depth considering they’ve been able to withstand early injuries to Jaden Ivey, Caris LeVert and Marcus Sasser.
But that’s not going to stop the rumors, especially when the Pistons still don’t have a clear second star, though I’m about a week from declaring that person to be Ausar Thompson. Bleacher Report came up with an interesting idea to fast-track the Pistons an established star in a monster 3-team deal with the Warriors and Bucks:
On the surface, Ivey, Harris and Stewart isn’t a ludicrous price for Jimmy Butler, who is still very good and would seemingly fit in with the culture Detroit is building as a hyper-competitive player.
As the B/R article points out, the Eastern Conference is there for the taking, and the Pistons could take advantage of it with a two-year window of Jimmy Butler next to Cade Cunningham.
I get it, but there are far more reasons the Pistons should stay far away from a trade like this.
Detroit Pistons: It has to be the right star
I love Jimmy Butler and do think adding him to the Pistons would potentially raise their ceiling in the East this season and the next, but I still wouldn’t do this trade. For starters, he’s 36 years old and hasn’t played 65 games in a season in seven years. Trading for aging stars is not a blueprint that has worked, at least not recently.
And as I've repeatedly said, there are very few guys in the NBA you can trade three rotation players for and still have enough depth. The Pistons are losing two starters and their top bench defender, so as good as Butler is, there is no way he can replace all of that. We've gotten to the point where we value picks too much in these deals with no consideration to depth.
I am absolute Homer #1, so am out on any trade in which the Pistons lose Isaiah Stewart, as he’s the heart of the team and on a great deal for his production. He’s also starting to knock down 3-point shots again, so would be a huge loss and leave the Pistons with only Bball Paul as backup center.
You’re also losing Tobias Harris, who has been shockingly important for the Pistons over last season and so far in this one as a safety blanket on offense who competes on defense. Butler would be an upgrade, but losing Stewart and Harris would be a massive blow to the chemistry.
Oh, and do you want to play AGAINST Beef Stew four times a year after trading him away to division rival? Me either.
Unfortunately, Jaden Ivey is going to be a feature of these trade proposals until his contract situation is resolved, but it’s hard to imagine Milwaukee wanting to make him one of the centerpieces of a Giannis trade.
It’s a trade that could propel the Pistons in the East for the short term but could have devastating effects on their chemistry and depth.