The table is set for the Detroit Pistons at the NBA trade deadline for the first time in years to make a big move.
They’re leading the Eastern Conference while holding all of their first-round draft capital for the next seven years, with expiring contracts and young talent that they could move in order to match the salary of a big-time player.
So, why is it looking like the Pistons are going to, at most, add around the margins?
Detroit’s been linked to a handful of impact players likes Michael Porter Jr. and Jaren Jackson Jr. to bolster their roster for what looks like their clearest path to a deep postseason run since the 2000s.
But with just a few days to go until the Feb. 5 deadline, the Pistons aren’t making many indications they’re set on pushing all their chips in at this point. They’re reportedly more likely to be a facilitator in larger trades, as they were last season while bringing in Dennis Schroder for their playoff push.
Before the season even began, coach J.B. Bickerstaff and president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon were very high on their roster’s potential after making the playoffs in their first year together, featuring a young core that had plenty of room to grow.
It was why they just added around the margins during free agency and found key pieces like Duncan Robinson and Javonte Green as relative bargains who have made major impacts and seen the growth out of Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson and more to develop what looks like a real contender.
The success has come quickly as Detroit is 36-12 after an historic win on Sunday against the Brooklyn Nets. Overachieving where the Pistons were expected to be in preseason would make an aggressive move at the trade deadline understandable.
But, the Pistons appear focused in staying the course that they’ve set out on to make Detroit a contender for the long haul.
Bickerstaff is happy with his roster and it seems like, from top to bottom, the group is bought in and producing together at an extremely high level.
The culture Bickerstaff was known for before arriving in Detroit has taken hold of the guys in the locker room. Messing with the chemistry this group has developed might be the riskiest part of the Pistons’ approach to the deadline.
“You don’t need to skip steps and go out and trade for some sort of superstar right away because you never know how that’s going to end up for you. Trajan will always make the smart decision and the right decision for the team,” Bickerstaff said in December.
Just about any trade for a player with a sizable contract is almost guaranteed to ship veteran forward Tobias Harris — a leader in the locker room and Bickerstaff’s “safety blanket” — and his $26 million contract to another team.
Being competitive on an annual basis should certainly be a goal for the Pistons. But, just to be clear, so is bringing a championship to the franchise for the first time since 2004.
And to paraphrase another Detroit coach — this could be the Pistons’ only shot.
Bickerstaff acknowledged recently how volatile the top of the league has been, with no team making consecutive NBA Finals over the last seven years.
“In order for a dynasty to take place you have to be really good and you have to be really lucky,” Bickerstaff said last week. “If you look over the past five or six years now, how it’s been a new champion every year, I think that’s great for the league because it puts pressure on teams to go for it because the opportunity is there.”
The outlook on Detroit’s future is incredibly positive right now with young stars like Cunningham and Duren who could become perennial All-Stars — both earning berths this season — and among the top players in the NBA.
You can easily see a world where they’re challenging in the conference on an annual basis if Langdon keeps finding players that fit Bickerstaff’s system and culture perfectly to go with their stars.
Maybe there isn’t a feature player like that on a team that’s willing to part without a deal that’s too rich for the Pistons’ interest this year. Detroit may just want to use its $14 million traded player exception and some draft picks to add shooting depth and ride with the rest of their guys.
Either way, the hope will be that the Pistons don’t look back at this deadline and wonder — what if?