The Pistons are still in the “wait and see” phase, but the trade deadline picture is already starting to take shape around them.
Trajan Langdon has shown patience so far, though that could change once the season rolls on and the clock starts ticking on a roster that won’t stay cheap forever. For now, Detroit has at least seven teams worth tracking, each with a player or two who could end up in the Pistons’ orbit.
Start in New Orleans, where Trey Murphy III had a rough opener with 11 points and four rebounds in the Pelicans’ loss. He’s a player worth liking, but that kind of line also shows why he may not be the cleanest fit if his jumper isn’t dropping. There’s always the tiny sample-size warning with one game, but the bigger question is whether Murphy would be enough of an upgrade over Duncan Robinson to justify the cost.
Chicago offers a lower-end possibility in Norman Powell. The Pistons might not have much interest, and they probably could have signed him in free agency anyway.
Still, he’s on the board, and he got rolling with 15 points in the opener. The Bulls, meanwhile, are expected to be rough, so this is more of a box-score check than appointment viewing.
Brooklyn is a more serious spot to monitor because Michael Porter Jr. has a profile that fits a deadline headline. He’s on an expiring deal, he’s playing well, and he opened with 26 points and seven rebounds. Since the Nets didn’t extend him, it’s hard to imagine him finishing the season there without his name getting dragged into every conversation.
Milwaukee has Tyler Herro in the mix, and he checks a box the Pistons would care about: secondary creation with real scoring juice. He also comes with the defensive issues that have followed him around. Still, he delivered 24 points and nine assists in his first game for the Bucks, which is exactly the kind of production that will keep his name attached to Detroit in rumor season.
Sacramento brings two names into the conversation in Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine. Neither is exactly pristine from a roster-building standpoint, and both carry major flaws.
Sabonis put up 14 points, 18 rebounds and eight assists, while LaVine scored 28 and added four assists, even in a Kings loss. If LaVine ever became a buyout candidate, he’d be worth a look for Detroit, but the salaries on both players would make any trade tricky to pull off.
Dallas is where Kyrie Irving enters the picture, and there’s even a nod to Marcus Sasser, who outplayed him in his first game as a backup. Still, Irving is the name that matters for deadline chatter if he stays healthy. He looks like one of the better skill-and-contract fits for the Pistons, though the Mavericks could end up good enough to keep him.
Then there’s Portland, where both Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson are worth watching. Both are coming off the bench, which makes them natural names to watch if the Blazers decide to move one.
Holiday may be on the back end of his career, but he still brings creation, ball security and strong point-of-attack defense. Henderson, meanwhile, is the kind of “second draft” swing another team could take if he can’t push past Ja Morant in the starting lineup by the deadline.
He opened with 15 points in 19 minutes, giving Portland an early reminder of why his name will stay in the conversation.
The list isn’t finished, either. These are the first teams on the Pistons’ radar, but as the season unfolds, more will get added.
In Other News...
John Collins Already Has The Pistons Facing A Tough Defensive Question
John Collins debut with Detroit offered a quick reminder that the fit still has some rough edges, even if there were a few encouraging flashes. The Pistons tested him in a few different spots defensively, and when Paul George started finding room to score, the staffs answer was to slide Collins to center and see if that changed the look.
It did not really solve the problem, especially when the matchup tilted toward bigger bodies like Mitchell Robinson. Collins still made his presence felt with a block and work on the offensive glass, but his first game also left Detroit with a real question about how it can best hide him defensively while still getting the most out of what he brings on the other end. [Read more 🡒]
Isiah Thomas Just Reignited A Michael Jordan Debate Bulls Fans Know Well
Isiah Thomas has never been shy about a basketball conversation, and a recent interview was no exception. The Hall of Fame point guard built an all-time starting five with Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Tim Duncan, a list that is sure to spark a familiar round of argument across the league, especially among Bulls fans who know exactly where Thomas stands in the sports great debates.
He also made room for a different wrinkle by saying LeBron James is his greatest of all time, even though James did not make the lineup. From there, Thomas drifted into bigger-picture basketball talk, weighing a possible one-on-one matchup with Stephen Curry and revisiting his old rivalry with Jordan, which is still the kind of subject that can light up any room where NBA history gets discussed. [Read more 🡒]
Javonte Green May Have Forced His Way Into Detroits Rotation
The Pistons got an early jolt from an unlikely source on opening night, and Javonte Greens bench work may have done more than fill a box score. In a game where Detroit was looking for energy and reliable two-way minutes, Green brought both, giving the coaching staff a reminder that rotation spots can change fast once the season starts.
For a team trying to sort out its backcourt and wing depth, that kind of impact matters. Greens scoring off the bench stood out in a night that also featured big performances elsewhere around the league, but his performance had the most direct consequence for Detroit because it came in the exact kind of role the Pistons need to stabilize. Whether that translates into a real, lasting place in the rotation is the next question. [Read more 🡒]