As the NBA enters the offseason, one team that could be extremely aggressive in free agency and the trade market is the Detroit Pistons
Detroit is coming off a season in which they completely turned their franchise around as the made the playoffs for the first time in six seasons after finishing sixth in the Eastern Conference.
This came after the Pistons had finished with the worst record in the NBA the prior two seasons.
Ausar Thompson
Feb 12, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) and forward Ausar Thompson (9) chat against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at the United Center.
© Matt Marton-Imagn Images
With the Pistons turning things around behind their young core led by Cade Cunningham, they have enough tradeable assets and cap space to make some major moves this summer.
With this in mind, Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey recently proposed a trade that would send Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo to Detroit in exchange for a massive trade package.
In the trade, Bailey has the Pistons acquiring Giannis while sending a package of Tobias Harris, Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson, Jalen Duren and four first-round picks.
“If Milwaukee moves Giannis, it should be for a deal that fires up a new era. And this one would do exactly that,” Bailey wrote. “As for Detroit, there would be some work to do to flesh out the roster, but Giannis and Cade Cunningham would be a dynamic top two good enough to compete for a title.”
While adding Giannis could make the Pistons into title contenders next season, they would be giving up many crucial pieces of their roster.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Nov 13, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) celebrates after scoring during overtime against the Detroit Pistons at Fiserv Forum.
© Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Of course, the Pistons would break up their young core in this mock trade by moving on from Ivey, Duren and Thompson and they would also send away a key veteran piece in Harris, who played well in his first season in Detroit.
Because of this, it is likely that Detroit would not pull off this trade as they would then have to make even more moves to upgrade their roster around their new duo of Giannis and Cunningham.