When the Knicks paid a massive price to land Mikal Bridges, plenty of people wondered whether they had gone too far. Five first-round picks for a player who had never made an All-Star team sounded steep at the time. Now, after one title and a championship window that still looks wide open for at least a couple more seasons, that gamble doesn’t look so wild anymore.
That’s the kind of move the Pistons may be staring at themselves. They’re close enough to being real title contenders that the next step might not be a modest upgrade - it might be the kind of swing that changes everything.
The name that fits here is Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
This one stings for Detroit, because the Pistons could have had NAW last offseason and instead went with Caris freaking LeVert, mostly because LeVert was willing to take a shorter contract. Since then, Alexander-Walker has gone on to win Most Improved Player and has established himself as one of the East’s best two-way wings. Oops.
If Detroit wants him now, the price won’t be friendly. Alexander-Walker is one of the league’s best 3-point shooters and is taking more than 10 attempts per game. He also brings strong on-ball defense, giving the Pistons another perimeter stopper to throw at opposing guards and wings.
There’s more to his game than just spot-up shooting and defense, too. Alexander-Walker has some of the same appeal Bridges brought to New York because he’s dependable - he has missed only four games over the last three seasons combined. He can also handle the ball some, which makes sense considering he began his NBA career as a point guard in New Orleans before being shifted into a different role with later teams.
That combination would make him a clean fit in Detroit and, in this view, the kind of addition that could push the Pistons from promising to dangerous.
The catch is cost. Alexander-Walker is a productive 20+ppg scorer who can defend, and he’s on a super team-friendly contract that might be the best value in the league. That means Atlanta has little reason to move him unless it decides to reset again, and it would take a godfather offer to get them to listen.
A deal built mostly around draft picks is at least possible for the Pistons. They control all of their future picks and already have plenty of young talent in place. Like the Knicks, they’ve got the core; what they may need now is the final piece, even if that means paying more than feels comfortable.
And if that move ends with a title, nobody in Detroit will spend much time worrying about the picks. New York sure doesn’t.
In Other News...
Pistons Fans Have A New Reason To Revisit That Embiid Ending
The Pistons left Philadelphia with a 112-106 loss, but the final minutes offered plenty for Detroit fans to replay. Joel Embiid was assessed a flagrant foul penalty 1 after kicking Cade Cunningham in the groin, and the sequence also brought a technical foul for shoving another player, turning an already physical game into one that ended with plenty of frustration on the Detroit side.
Embiid still filled the box score in a big way, finishing with 26 points and 15 rebounds in a double-double that added another line to his long list of dominant nights. It was his 61st game with at least 25 points and 15 rebounds, the second-most in 76ers history, but for Pistons fans the lasting memory from this one is likely to be the confrontation, not the production. [Read more 🡒]
Ausar Thompson Is Giving The Pistons A New Reason For Optimism
The Pistons came up short in a tight loss to the 76ers, but Ausar Thompson gave them something to take from the night beyond the final score. He was more aggressive than usual, putting up a season high in field goal attempts while contributing in points, rebounds, assists and steals, a reminder that his impact is starting to stretch beyond the defensive end.
What stood out most was the way Thompson kept pressing offensively while still looking efficient doing it, including better work at the free throw line. For a Detroit team that has already shown it can compete early, that kind of growth from Thompson gives the Pistons another reason to believe his role can keep expanding even as he continues to work through the usual growing pains. [Read more 🡒]
LeBron Is Driving A 76ers Shift Pistons Fans Just Saw Again
LeBron James landing with the 76ers has already changed the feel of that team, and the early returns have been hard to miss. Philadelphia has opened the season 8-1, with Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid and James all helping drive the fast start, but the bigger shift has been in the way the offense is flowing. The ball is moving more, the touches are being shared, and the group looks far more connected than a team still trying to blend so much talent usually does.
Maxey has already pointed to James as a big reason for that tone, praising his leadership and willingness to pass. For Pistons fans, it is a familiar reminder of how quickly one high-profile addition can change the way a roster plays and thinks, especially when the star is willing to set the table instead of just taking over. The bigger question now is how long that balance lasts once the season gets deeper and the pressure rises. [Read more 🡒]