With the NBA trade deadline fast approaching on Monday, Feb. 5, the Detroit Pistons find themselves in a very comfortable position approaching a potential roster shakeup. 

At 34-11 and in first place of the Eastern Conference, the Pistons are without a major impetus to seek out a trade considering how smoothly the first half of the regular season has gone. Detroit is a relatively healthy team at the moment, so depth is not an issue either in the Motor City.

To improve the Pistons’ position further, Detroit owns all of their future first round draft picks, so the organization is replete with draft capital on a team with young assets that are currently clicking on all cylinders. This is a rare situation where an NBA team has the pieces necessary for a home run swing when a simple base hit, or in this case a pragmatic trade for a useful role player, could be the right move at this juncture for the Pistons. 

Now in his 11th season in the NBA, Powell is a dangerous perimeter shooter at 6-4, 215 pounds who does not need the ball to be productive. Powell checks in with a 39.3% rate from behind the arc as an accomplished motion shooter, similar to Duncan Robinson, but he’s been much more prolific than his Motown contemporary. This year, Powell is averaging 23.1 points per game, so he’d immediately slot into the Detroit lineup with the requisite skill set to be the team’s secondary scorer. 

Outside of Robinson and to some extent Jaden Ivey, the Pistons lack another player with significant perimeter gravity, so opposing defenses have a tendency to collapse in the paint when Cade Cunningham drives to the hoop. If both Powell and Robinson were manning the three-point line for the Pistons, passing lanes would open up with a less clogged, congested unit to attack since opponents would be forced to play more honest defense. 

Now, Powell does not offer much in the way of playmaking with 2.7 assists per game and he's seldom a participant on the boards with less than four rebounds per game, but those areas are not where his value lies. Powell can work off-ball as an experienced, floor-spacing guard with a more-than-reliable three-point shot, which coincidentally is exactly what the Pistons are looking for. 

From a financial point of view, Powell is in the final season of a five-year deal, but the Heat are not structured in a sound position to compete in the future without significant changes. Given their 8th place position in the East, the Heat may favor an option where they recoup some value for Powell before he potentially leaves through free agency in the offseason, and Detroit would be well served to inquire on their asking price for the veteran sharp-shooter. 

The Pistons have formed a pattern of dominating teams in the paint and dunking their way to victory on most nights this season, but another lethal perimeter threat to join Robinson on the outside would shore up the only clear and present weakness on Detroit’s squad. Since Powell is no slouch on defense either, he seems like a natural fit in the culture and identity that the Pistons have developed. Powell can grind out physical defensive possessions, and he’s quick in small spaces with the intensity needed to perform as a two-way threat on a physically demanding Miami team. 

For more information on the latest Detroit Pistons team or player news, follow @EricJRutter on X for continued basketball coverage. Also be sure to look up Roundtable - Michigan Men Media on Facebook for continued social media coverage of all the sporting teams in the Mitten.