The Detroit Pistons are a team I believe could surprise many this season.
Their first-round series against the Knicks and the way it concluded wasn't entirely representative, which is obvious to anyone who watched closely, as it easily could have extended to 7 games.
Detroit gave New York a serious challenge, and for the 2025-26 season, they'll have Jaden Ivey back, one of their top players.
A young team like the Pistons will naturally improve each year as players develop individually and the entire squad becomes more cohesive and experienced.
The Pistons Need More Offensive Firepower
However, there are some gaps in offensive talent that Detroit might want to address.
Pistons
Pistons
Credit Melissa Tamez/Icon SMI via ZUMA Press - Scanpix
Watching them reminds me of the Detroit Bad Boys, a very tough, hard-nosed team that plays exceptional defense and embodies a fighter's mentality.
That said, especially with the recent situation and controversy surrounding Malik Beasley, who is expected to miss significant time, Detroit needs a reliable scorer.
Ivey's return from injury might not be enough.
This is why I've proposed a trade that could add a new offensive dimension and potentially ease the burden on Cade Cunningham, who has emerged as one of the league's best playmakers.
Proposed Trade That Would Send Lauri Markkanen to the Pistons
Jazz receives:
Tobias Harris
Isaiah Stewart
2026 First-Round Pick
2027 First-Round Pick
Pistons receive:
Lauri Markkanen
How Markkanen Fits the Pistons' Offense
Detroit was ranked 16th in the league last season with an offensive rating of 115.0, so there's definitely room for improvement.
Markkanen would bring a lot in that regard, as he would allow them to run a 5-out offense, something they haven't really been able to do consistently so far.
This is especially important for Cade Cunningham and the Pistons' guards.
Markkanen's spacing, particularly in lineups where he could play center, and the pick-and-pop option with him as the big man when Cunningham has the ball, would be extremely difficult to guard.
Tobias Harris made significant contributions to the Pistons in 2024-25, particularly with his standout defensive performances, which were a notable shift from his previous seasons.
His strong defense was notable in the series against the Knicks, where he gave Karl-Anthony Towns a lot of trouble.
However, I believe that for the sake of better offense and spacing, this trade makes sense.
Comparing Markkanen and Harris as Scoring Threats
Looking at Tobias Harris, while some may have expected him to serve primarily as an offensive stretch-four option in Detroit, he has instead leaned into the team's defensive identity.
Harris embraced that role and became a key part of their hard-nosed, physical approach, making him a natural fit in last year's playoff push.
However, as effective as he has been on that end, the Pistons clearly need more spacing, a greater threat from beyond the arc, and a higher overall scoring ceiling.
Harris has averaged just 1.3 made threes per game across his career, whereas Markkanen nearly doubles that at 2.5 per game.
Laurie
Laurie
Credit Getty Images via AFP/Scanpix
Pick-and-Pop Potential and Impact on Cade Cunningham
That gap isn't just a volume statistic; it's reflected in advanced metrics as well, especially in situations that could be pivotal for the Pistons' offense.
For example, in pick-and-pop plays over the last four seasons, Markkanen has averaged 1.10 points per possession, making him a reliable shooter in that action. Harris, in the same span, sits at just 0.79 points per possession.
For a team built around Cade Cunningham's ability to manipulate defenses in the pick-and-roll, the difference between those numbers is massive.
With Markkanen popping out to the perimeter, defenders would be forced to make a split-second choice between sticking with an elite shooter or stepping up on Cunningham.
This decision could open up more efficient scoring opportunities than Detroit has had in recent years.
Even more importantly, Markkanen's ability to shoot more efficiently from pick-and-pop situations would force opponents into far more switches, because switching is often the only truly effective way to defend the pick-and-pop action.
And when defenses switch, Cunningham thrives.
More switches would mean more isolation chances against slower bigs, creating a steady stream of favorable matchups for Detroit's star point guard.
Cade
Cade
Credit USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect - Scanpix
Unlocking a More Versatile Version of Markkanen
One intriguing angle for Detroit is how Markkanen's role could evolve if he were given more freedom to create for himself.
In his best NBA season (2022–23), only about 7% of his possessions came from post-ups.
But in major international tournaments like EuroBasket and the FIBA World Cup, that number nearly doubles to roughly 15%.
His NBA usage rate that year was already a healthy 24%, yet the difference lies in how he's deployed.
With the Jazz, he spends more time off the ball catch-and-shoot looks, pick-and-pops, and coming off screens, which made up about 16% of his play types, compared to around 11% in international play.
For Finland, he gets more isolation opportunities, more post touches, and generally more freedom to attack mismatches.
Credit FIBA
Isolation possessions made up just 5% of his NBA usage in 2022–23, but that figure jumps closer to 10% in FIBA competition.
The fascinating part?
More on-ball responsibility hasn't hurt his efficiency, it's improved it.
In both the World Cup and EuroBasket, Markkanen shot around 52% from the field, well above his roughly 45% NBA career average.
A similar usage bump in Detroit could unlock an even more dangerous version of the former All-Star, adding a new offensive dimension the Pistons haven't had in years from a player in those positions.
Why Should the Utah Jazz Consider This Trade?
Markkanen's 2024-25 campaign has not been what he might have envisioned, and by several measures, it ranks among the weakest seasons of his career.
Just two years ago, in 2022-23, he was named the NBA's Most Improved Player, earned his first All-Star selection, and looked like a perfect fit in Utah's system.
Fast-forward to this past season, and the picture looks much different.
His field goal percentage dropped to just 42%, the lowest mark of his career and roughly six percentage points worse than the year before.
The decline shows up in advanced metrics as well, particularly in points per shot attempt (PSA).
Credit Getty Images via AFP - Scanpix
In 2022-23, he posted a great 129.3 PSA, followed by 126.3 in 2023-24.
In 2024-25, that number took a sharp dip to just 114.8, marking his least efficient scoring season in a Jazz uniform.
Additionally, when it comes to Utah, Harris's contract is appealing because it has just one year remaining, which could provide them with financial flexibility.
Considering Markkanen's massive $43 million deal, if Utah is definitely moving towards a future without Markkanen, this trade could be the best way for them to ease their salary burden.
At the same time, they would receive solid players and valuable draft picks in return.
Vukašin Nedeljković
Vukašin played basketball competitively in his youth, and now contributes to Synergy Sports Technology and Sportradar regarding basketball analysis. He also has experience working as a journalist in Serbia and is passionate about writing basketball articles mainly focused on basketball X's and O's.
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