Over the last week, the Detroit Pistons played a center-stage role in several potential blockbuster trades that permeated the NBA landscape. From a theoretical trade with a Central Division rival in the Milwaukee Bucks for Giannis Antetokounmpo to an idea-only move that would send Anthony Davis to Motown, the Pistons were linked to several potential high-profile moves.

That in and of itself is a good sign since it shows that the Pistons are stocked full of assets that other NBA organizations view as valuable. Right now, the Pistons own all of their draft picks for the future, so they actually have a considerable war chest at their disposal if Detroit decides to go all-in on either Giannis or AD in the coming weeks. 

In addition to a bevy of first-rounders, the Pistons are loaded with young profiles that are still several seasons away from reaching their peak, such as Ausar Thompson, Ron Holland and Jaden Ivey– all players that could very well play a big role in the Motor City for years to come. And with the two-man game between Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren driving the Detroit offense night in and night out, the Pistons have a bright, bright future as they’re currently constructed. 

However, it is inarguable that adding a player of Giannis’ level would drastically alter the Pistons’ trajectory and accelerate the timeline for winning a championship in Detroit. Right now, the Pistons appear to just be knocking on success’ door for the first time, but inserting Antetokounmpo into the Detroit lineup would immediately jettison the squad into the very top tier of the NBA, into the elite of the elite. 

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How Likely Is Giannis To Detroit? 

After speaking to a couple sources with knowledge of the situation, Pistons Roundtable has learned that despite contrary reports, Giannis has not deliberately asked to leave Milwaukee via trade quite yet, though that may still come down the pipeline in the coming weeks. But when he does, the Pistons are not expected to be one of Antetokounmpo’s desired trade destinations. So while Detroit does have a lot of assets that could benefit Milwaukee, the Bucks are going to try sending Giannis to his top location first– and Detroit is not believed to be first, second or even third on that list. 

Since Giannis won’t be coming to Detroit, the next big name worth discussing is Anthony Davis, a 32-year old center for the Dallas Mavericks who played his best basketball two teams ago. Since Davis is still owed more than $50 million each of the next two years, the Pistons would be wise to avoid the type of financial burden that would come with Davis, especially since Detroit President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon covets flexibility and organizational versatility. 

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On top of that fiscal requirement, AD is rarely healthy anymore, so even if he can score in the mid-20s on a nightly basis while grabbing double-digit rebounds, it is anyone’s guess how long that type of production continues for. Davis has played more than 72 games only once in the last eight seasons, so durability is more than just an issue for Davis– it’s an outright problem. 

For Pistons fans, it would be wise to temper any expectations in the trade department given Langdon’s penchant for making pragmatic decisions. And since neither Antetokounmpo nor Davis seem to be worth pursuing further, perhaps the Pistons explore the possibility of adding an outsider shooter through the Traded Player Exemption, which Detroit currently is eligible to use. That's where Lauri Markkanen comes into play.

For quite some time now, the Pistons have been rumored to be a team in the mix for the high-scoring Jazz forward. And on the surface, Markkanen would be a quality fit in the Detroit lineup since he can shoot from the perimeter and score at a high volume-- and consistently enough that he'd be the No. 2 next to Cade-- but the Jazz would likely ask for a package that is more than the Pistons are willing to pay. 

So, Detroit may be in a bit of a holding pattern at the moment. Since the Pistons are already sitting in first place in the Eastern Conference, the organization is going to be in no hurry to shuffle the deck and mix up the squad for the sake of change itself. 

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