The Detroit Pistons could be on final piece away from challenging for an NBA Championship this season
During the Detroit Pistons’ 139-116 win over the Kings, Little Caesars Arena played host to another important, specific group of people on Sunday afternoon– the Sacramento front office. With the trade deadline a little over a week away, many teams are putting the final touches on in-person scouting in order to gather intel before negotiating a deal, and the Kings are chiefly among that group.
Standing at 12-35 on the season, the Kings are already fully out of the playoff race in the Western Conference, so they would benefit from moving what few assets they have to postseason squads like the Pistons. And to that effect, Sacramento guard Keon Ellis is the latest player to reportedly fall under the scrutiny of Pistons President of Player Operations Trajan Langdon.
On Sunday, the Pistons had an up close look at Ellis to evaluate the third-year guard’s ability, and he racked up 14 points and hit a trio of three-pointers in just 21 minutes. From an offensive standpoint, Ellis is efficient even if his low usage does not correlate to the consistency he offers, especially from the perimeter. Ellis is a career 41.5% three-point shooter, but to that point Ellis does not need to dominate the ball to be productive, as he displayed on Sunday in Detroit.
From a defensive perspective, Ellis is known to be a disruptor at the point of attack at 6-4 and uses his length to clog the passing lanes for opposing ball handlers. Even when fighting through injury throughout January, Ellis has continued to bring energy and tenacity to his defensive assignments. Ellis’ defensive influence would fit right in with the Pistons’ locker room, but the team already has a plethora of defensively solid guards.
In order for a potential deal for Ellis to make sense, Detroit would need to unload at least one guard in the trade, possibly two. Ellis is on a team-friendly, cheap contract right now, so the Pistons won’t need to worry about freeing up cap space in the trade, so players like Jaden Ivey, Caris LeVert or Marcus Sasser make the most sense.
In terms of realism, Pistons Roundtable does not believe that Detroit head coach J.B. Bickerstaff is itching to part ways with LeVert, a veteran who he has coached previously and seems to have a soft spot for. Ivey is the most likely of that bunch to wind up in a deal considering many teams across the league could sign onto the prospect of reviving Ivey’s form from the 2024-25 regular season.
The NBA trade deadline is on Thursday, Feb. 5 this year, so the Pistons have a bit more time to zero in on a trade target before advancing to All-Star Weekend shortly thereafter, though they are expected to face considerable competition for Ellis' services.
Next up, the Pistons will take on the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 9 pm.
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