The Detroit Pistons have been linked as a possible trade destination for Lauri Markkanen
With the NBA’s offseason rapidly coming to a close, the Detroit Pistons are still left with a couple important decisions to make before facing the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, Oct. 22 to begin the 202-26 campaign.
Realistically, the first item on Detroit’s docket is likely to be finding a solution for the No. 15 spot on the roster. The Pistons already have 14 either guaranteed or partially-guaranteed contracts on the books for the coming season, so that leaves one open position for a bit of roster flexibility. Now, teams have often chosen to leave that spot open at various times throughout the year to have a bit of wiggle room, but that avenue varies from franchise to franchise.
As it pertains to the Pistons, one possibility for that final roster spot has been rumored to be Utah Jazz power forward Lauri Markkanen. Now, this rumor is not new by any stretch as Markkanen has found himself amid swirling trade possibilities for some time now— including potential links to Detroit— but certain analysts surrounding NBA media are offering this trade option with increased frequency as of late.
Now, Markkanen has been a key piece to the Jazz over the last several seasons. A former All-Star, the seven-footer has the ability to knock down jumpers, though his scoring has dipped from 25 points per game three seasons down to just over 19 points on average last year. Still, Markkanen has an offensive skill set that could complement the players already on Detroit’s playoff-caliber roster.
According to Michael Pina of The Ringer, the Pistons may meet a strict criteria with a specific set of circumstances that could make the trade a viable option from both Detroit and Utah’s perspective.
“A couple of candidates spring to mind, but for one reason or another, they just don’t seem able or willing to engage with Utah on realistic terms, be it thanks to their cap situation, dearth of assets, or lack of bone-deep self-confidence that’s required to make a trade like this,” Pina wrote. “The center of the Venn diagram here is extremely slim, but I can still think of at least one team that should do whatever it takes to pry Markkanen out of Utah. It’s the Detroit Pistons, an ascending, hungry, well-budgeted club that has probably spent the past four months convinced it let the New York Knicks off the hook in the first round.”
As Pina wrote, Detroit is a team with upward mobility that most likely feels as if it is entering a pivotal period of success with the main core players still on team-friendly deals. Now, if the Pistons were to move for a player of Markkanen’s caliber, it would likely require a collection of valuable assets, and it is unclear whether President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon would be willing to part with young, talented players to win now.
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However, Pina continued to make the case as to why the potential trade could make sense.
“To start: Markkanen would be an ideal sidekick to enhance the next half decade of Cade Cunningham’s career,” Pina wrote. “He’s an exemplary pick-and-roll partner who can drill movement 3s and diversify Detroit’s somewhat predictable attack. Markkanen has already thrived under J.B. Bickerstaff—a coach who helped turn his career around in Cleveland—and is the type of player who makes perfect sense supporting a core that could really use reliable spacing in its frontcourt. In NBA terms, it would be pretty much as mutually beneficial as mutually beneficial relationships can get.”
So far, the Pistons have built the team around long-term growth and sustainability, especially given the roster construction under Langdon, so it would be a bit of a surprise to see Detroit make a splash of this magnitude at the moment.
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