A couple intriguing trade possibilities involving the Pistons have surfaced as of late
The Detroit Pistons have been one of the top stories of the early NBA season with a 10-2 start to the year, a first-place position in the Eastern Conference and an active eight-game winning streak.
On Wednesday night, the Pistons painted a basketball masterpiece as Detroit pulled off an improbable 11-point win over the Chicago Bulls with a staggering seven players injured and unable to play. The Pistons’ entire regular starting lineup was out, so Detroit carried on without the late-game heroics of Cade Cunningham or the rim-rattling lobs of Jalen Duren.
But as it turned out, the Pistons had enough firepower in the lineup with a big 26-point, 13-rebound double-double from Paul Reed and some stellar point guard play from Daniss Jenkins, who posted 18 points and 12 assists, to boot. Duncan Robinson offered his trusted long-range shooting for 23 points in the game (7-for-10 from distance), and the Pistons held a lead from start to finish against the Bulls.
Paul Reed Shines With Double-Double Against Bulls, Pistons Remain 1st in Eastern Conference
The Pistons relied on an unsung hero to deliver against the Bulls on Wednesday
Should the Pistons pursue a trade?
Over the past week, the Detroit Pistons have been a popular landing spot for a collection of NBA stars in hypothetical trade possibilities designed to reflect the early stages of the regular season. Since the Pistons have dominated the first 12 games and stand atop the Eastern Conference by 2.5 games, many suggest that Detroit should flip the switch into win-now mode and make a move for an established No. 2 scorer to balance the offense with Cunningham leading the show.
Along those lines, Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen has been a longstanding trade candidate for the Pistons since the former All-Star can space the floor, rebound at a high level and is a steady outside shooter. From a playstyle and fit standpoint, Markkanen checks a lot of boxes that would serve to improve the Pistons from an offensive perspective.
However, Markkanen would likely command a return that includes Jaden Ivey, potentially Tobias Harris or Ron Holland and a number of first round draft picks. That price seems a bit too steep for the Pistons to pay at this stage, especially since the Pistons just proved they can take a heavily shorthanded team and compete with a talented Bulls squad.
If Markkanen does not prove to be a fit right now for Detroit, then a possibility exists that the Pistons could make a move for Anthony Davis of the Dallas Mavericks. NBA analyst Zach Lowe took some time recently to explain the traction behind the Davis-to-Detroit talks, but he ultimately dismissed the move in favor of a more logical trade candidate like Markkanen.
Like Markkanen, the Mavericks would expect a pretty sizable collection of assets given what Dallas moved to acquire Davis to begin with, and that feels like more than the Pistons would be comfortable moving right now. During the Pistons’ rebuild, Detroit President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon has preached a patient approach that allows for the team to slowly build with a strong base before flipping the switch into win-now mode.
After beating the Bulls with such a diminished lineup, the Pistons proved that the team’s early-season success is not an aberration, and it may be too early for Detroit to explore asset-heavy trades given the team’s standing atop the East.
Next up, the Pistons will take on the Philadelphia 76ers at home on Friday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 pm in the group stage of the NBA Cup.
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