Apparently the Pistons have had too much time off before facing the Milwaukee Bucks tonight at 8 pm.

During Detroit’s three days off after defeating the Atlanta Hawks 120-112 on Tuesday, many basketball analysts have proposed theoretical trades that would’ve had the Pistons mortgaging the future in order to secure a talented win-now asset. Now, the hypothetical trades have been entertaining to say the least, some with Utah Jazz former All-Star Lauri Markkanen heading to Motown or Dallas Mavericks big man Anthony Davis joining the Detroit contingent. 

While either Markkanen or Davis would provide a legitimate No. 2 scoring option to compliment Cade Cunningham, both players would likely come at an outrageous asking price– at least given the way Pistons President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon has constructed the Pistons’ roster. 

In order to reach first place in the Eastern Conference, Langdon and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff have prioritized high-ceiling young players that Detroit can build around, such as Jalen Duren or Ausar Thompson. These players, when surrounded with a talented group of veterans, can compete in the postseason with the Pistons’ hard-nosed defense and quick-button transition offense leading the way. 

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As Langdon has worked to compile Detroit’s roster, the acting general manager has done so with an eye looking towards the future. The Pistons have control of their first round draft picks for the next several years, so the squad has a lot of draft capital and assets to work with. For either Markkanen or Davis to become available, Langdon would likely be required to fork over multiple first round draft picks in addition to a healthy batch of young, high-ceiling players like Jaden Ivey. 

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There’s no question that Markkanen or Davis could help make the Pistons a more dangerous team, especially in the postseason, for the short-term, but acquiring either piece would mean that Detroit is going all-in this season, which would be a puzzling move considering the abject youth and potential currently on the squad. The Pistons are loaded with young players on relatively team-friendly deals, and the youth movement in Motown is just now beginning to pay off. 

While adding a player at the caliber of Markkanen or Davis would always be attractive, it is important to look at the Pistons’ franchise as a team that is just now exiting a difficult rebuild. Detroit made the playoffs for the first time last season, and the Pistons are set up to challenge for a top spot in the East as they’re currently constructed.

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If Detroit was squandering its chances and sat at the bottom of the conference after 15 games, then the team would be in a different predicament, one that could necessitate a big trade to help kick some life into the squad. However, the Pistons are in prime shape to continue making a league-wide statement as more key players, such as Ivey, begin to rejoin the lineup.

Trajan Langdon is simply too intelligent and too patient to squander the tremendous pragmatism he's shown in Detroit's rebuild, and he is not likely to be tricked by a flashy, win-now proposition that would hamstring the Pistons in terms of assets for years to come.  

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