The Detroit Pistons are in first place in the Eastern Conference even though they are not near full strength and haven’t even played particularly well, especially on offense.
It’s that combination of factors that had the hosts of The Hoop Collective talking trade when it comes to the Pistons, even though it’s only early November, and we haven’t even seen all of their key players yet.
Given these factors and their 8-2 record, Trajan Langdon may see this year as a real opportunity to exceed expectations and try to win the Eastern Conference.
It’s not that far-fetched, and though they don’t have to do anything immediately, the chances of the Pistons making an impact trade are high for several reasons.
The Detroit Pistons are in prime position for a trade
The idea of an “impact” trade makes sense for the Pistons but doesn’t necessarily mean they have to trade away a chunk of their young talent to do it.
We’ve seen a ton of trade proposals involving players like Lauri Markkanen in which the Pistons are forced to give up multiple rotation players for one guy, but there are smaller deals out there in which the Pistons could keep players like Ron Holland and Jaden Ivey and still get a guy who can help them offensively.
And there are several reasons they will likely do so at some point:
-The Pistons are ready to take the next step
This team may not be a real title contender yet, but it’s not far off and has one important part of the equation, which is an elite defense.
Detroit could use another 20+ppg scorer, there is no doubt, but they may have one in Jalen Duren soon (19.4 ppg) and Jaden Ivey will hopefully return before the end of the month. If they can add another scorer to that, there is no reason they can’t win the East.
-Speaking of the East...
The conference is as wide open as it has been in recent memory, and the Pistons aren’t scared of anyone. They’ve already shown they can hang with the Knicks in the playoffs, and though the Cavaliers did pull out the belt in their first meeting, Detroit isn’t afraid of them.
Why wait for Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton to get healthy when the East is right there for the taking? It’s a fair question.
-The Pistons have the picks and tradable assets
We’ve talked a lot about Tobias Harris’ expiring deal and Jaden Ivey as the basis of a trade package, but people often overlook the details of the Duncan Robinson and Caris LeVert deals.
A team can take on Robinson with no future obligations, as only this season is guaranteed. LeVert only has one year after this one, so these are two tradable deals the Pistons could potentially aggregate to equal a big salary without dipping into their young talent.
Detroit has control over all of their draft picks, so potentially has the ammo for a trade without dealing Ivey or Holland.
Things are shaping up for a move from Detroit, but it doesn’t have to empty the coffers to push them to the next level.