2024-01-25 16:02:44
The trade deadline is two weeks away, and the Detroit Pistons, the NBA’s worst team, are very involved in discussions.
Back in December, owner Tom Gores said he expected change to come sooner rather than later. Detroit has made a trade since those comments, but nothing that has altered the trajectory of the franchise. The sense I continue to get is that the Pistons will get through this disaster of a season and make significant changes this summer, when Detroit potentially has $60 million in cap space to play with.
The feeling is that the Pistons will make at least one more trade between now and the Feb. 8 deadline. Will it be big or small? Time will tell, but Detroit will have options either way.
As the deadline inches closer and closer, here’s what I’ve been hearing over the last few weeks regarding Detroit:
• The Pistons view Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren as their blue-chip pieces moving forward. Per league sources, the feeling is that Detroit has no interest in trading any four of those players in the immediate future.
• A few weeks back, the Atlanta Hawks initiated a trade discussion with the Pistons centered around Dejounte Murray, league sources told The Athletic. The Hawks were interested in Thompson/Ivey and other stuff of good value. Detroit had no interest, according to league sources.
• Similarly, the Chicago Bulls and Pistons have had conversations involving Zach LaVine, league sources say. Chicago appears to be locked in on a package involving Bojan Bogdanović and one of Detroit’s blue-chippers for LaVine and his hefty contract. Once once more, the Pistons have shown no interest in parting with any of Cunningham, Ivey, Duren or Thompson. It is possible Detroit considers adding LaVine when/if the Bulls’ asking price goes down. However, those are discussions that have been happening and will continue to happen internally.
The Bulls’ Zach LaVine drives to the basket over Pistons forward Marvin Bagley III. (Kamil Krzaczynski / USA Today)
• Flint native Monté Morris made his season debut on Wednesday night following missing the first 43 games with a pair of injuries. Per league sources, rival teams like and have expressed interest in Morris but, obviously, want to see the veteran guard play leading up to the deadline. Detroit, too, wants to see what Morris provides following returning from injury. I’ve gotten the sense that it is not a given the Pistons will move Morris, who addresses several issues in Detroit’s backcourt when healthy.
• Lastly, in talking to people around the league, while Detroit may be more willing to part with veterans Bogdanović and Alec Burks than they were a year ago, the Pistons are not actively shopping either player, per league sources. Bogdanović has a team option for next season, and Burks will hit unrestricted free agency. Detroit appears more inclined to wait until the summer to make a decision on Bogdanović, whom they really value, unless a trade for a good first-round draft pick and a good player comes along. As for Burks, the Pistons believe they have a chance to retain the bucket-getting veteran this summer. But I get the sense that two really good second-round picks, at minimum, would cause Detroit to consider a move before the deadline.
Both my intel and gut tell me this likely won’t be a splashy deadline for Detroit. But with the team holding the worst record in the NBA (5-39), and with good players on non-desirable contracts available, nothing would surprise me.
Related reading
Trade Board: The latest intel on who’s on the market
(Top photo of Dejounte Murray handling the ball once morest Ausar Thompson: Chris Schwegler / NBAE via Getty Images)
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