After one of the worst seasons in NBA history, the Detroit Pistons are at a crossroads before the February 8 trade deadline.
as The Athletic It was reported last week that the Pistons are currently not interested in trading Cade Cunningham, Orser Thompson, Jaden Ivey, or Jalen Duren, and would immediately trade Bojan Bogdanovic, Alec Burks, and Isaiah Stewart. Unless the offer is too good to refuse, it's in the future.
So how will Detroit improve this season?
In preparation for what could be a tough week ahead for the Pistons at the trade deadline, I spoke with my colleagues who cover the Los Angeles Lakers (Jovan Buha), New York Knicks (Fred Katz), and Oklahoma City Thunder. (Andrew Schlecht) has contacted Detroit to discuss a possible trade between these three teams.
Each proposal was made in light of information about the Pistons that was reported last week. Let's get started.
lakers
Pistons acquire: Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, Max Christie, and 2029 first-round pick.
Lakers acquire: Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks
James L. Edwards III (Pistons beat writer): Lakers fans will probably despise this offer and feel slighted, but hear me out.
Los Angeles will acquire two players on team-friendly contracts worth $30 million — Bogdanovic has a year left on his contract that is partially guaranteed after this season, and Burks will be restricted after this season. None will become free agents — they will instantly strengthen a championship-winning Lakers team. They have the fewest threes in the league, are in the middle of the pack when converting those threes, and have a bottom-10 offense in the NBA. Both Bogdanovic and Burks could take a large scoring load off LeBron James and Anthony Davis, while also giving the Lakers flexibility for next summer's roster additions.
Detroit gets a strong draft pick and a much-needed wing rotation player in the Motor City. The Pistons are looking for good draft capital and/or good players to justify losing Burks and Bogdanovic, and a deal like this accomplishes both.
Jovan Buha (Lakers beat writer):The Lakers will immediately reject this deal. They have no interest in trading Reeves. The exception is signing a clear third All-Star, where a name like Lauri Markkanen is the only player of his kind that could potentially be acquired on the trade market (and frankly unrealistic for the Lakers). option). For example, they wouldn't consider trading Reaves for Dejounte Murray, and I think most people would say Murray is better than Bogdanovic. LA has a low bar for giving up a 2029 first-round pick, and I think they would definitely consider that in this type of deal. But if they're going to let go of Reaves and his first two best assets, I think they want a better headliner and more collective defense.
That being said, the Lakers have coveted both Bogdanovic and Burks as individuals for a long time, so I think they might be interested in finding a framework along these lines. I think they will counter with players like Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Christie and first rounders. The Pistons probably won't accept that. I don't see any clear-cut trade between these two that would land Reaves in Detroit. But if Detroit complies, we could see a more realistic scenario in which the Lakers give up some combinations of players and Bogdanovic's first goal.
knicks
Pistons acquire: 2024 first-round pick (via Detroit), Evan Fournier, Isaiah Hartenstein, Quentin Grimes
Knicks acquire: Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks
Edwards: Similar to the trade above, from the Pistons' perspective, this is a way to combine Burks and Bogdanovic to get both a quality player and a pick. In this case, Detroit got back a troublesome first-round pick that has plagued them since trading in 2020. Getting that pick back will give the Pistons more flexibility to trade future picks and try to acquire bigger names before the tournament. The deadline is this summer. Fournier has a team option for next season, Hartenstein is on an expiring contract, and Grimes is a young player who should help Detroit now and in the future.
In addition to Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, the Knicks are acquiring two playmakers and shooters to strengthen their bench and playmaking, but they won't be locked into either contract after this season if things don't work out. do not have.
That's my logic. Let's take a look at what Fred Katz has to say.
Fred Katz (Knicks beat writer): If I were a New Yorker, I would decline this offer. Burks is a known player, a former Knick who can shoot threes and create his own, but his value shouldn't be higher than one or two second-round picks. Bogdanovic, on the other hand, made more sense for the Knicks before the trade for OG Anunoby. There are too many works coming out. Hartenstein is too important to let go, especially considering the team doesn't know if or when Mitchell Robinson will return from his ankle injury. Hartenstein appeared in his place. According to Cleaning the Glass, the current Knicks starters are outscoring opponents by 19.3 points per 100 possessions.
Grimes has been on the trade market, and as I reported, the Knicks are actively fielding inquiries about him. He could see them trading him, but he imagines the return would have to address a position of need. If Brunson is off the court, the Knicks could use his guard to keep the offense going. If they part with Grimes, a first-round pick and their starting center — which would elevate Jericho Sims and Precious Achiuwa to the starting lineup, which is far from ideal — the payoff would be: One for.
Sources say the Knicks are interested in Burks, so I'm going to build my offer around him alone. He's making $10.5 million this season, so matching his salary will be difficult. The Knicks don't have many players who earn in that range. But one move they could try is trading Achiuwa for a player with a slightly higher salary than the big man (in the $5.2 million range) and flipping that player and a second-rounder or two to Burks. is. While this is a different trade than the one James proposed, it's one that makes more sense for New York, and would likely lead to Detroit offering compensation to the expiring veteran.
Thunder
Pistons acquire: Davis Bertans and 2024 first-round pick (via Utah)
Thunder Receive: Bojan Bogdanovic
Edwards: This is very simple. Detroit will acquire a first-round pick to add to its asset pool and use this pick and future picks to make a big move and acquire a player who can shoot on a partially guaranteed contract. .
Bertans is nowhere near as good as Bogdanovic, but he can take open shots and provide space.
The main purpose of this trade is for Detroit to maintain financial flexibility and add a first-round pick, while Oklahoma City acquires a useful player in their bid to reach the Western Conference Finals. That's true.
Andrew Schlecht (Thunder Podcaster/Writer): I think this deal makes a lot of sense on paper for both teams. The Pistons get a pick and the Thunder get a player who can win right now.
But it's unclear whether Bogdanovic is the player OKC is looking for. His rebounding and lack of defense will be a concern. Also, can OKC give Bogdanovic a big enough role to be comfortable with? Bogdanovic has never taken fewer than 10 shots in a game since Kevin Durant was with the Thunder. Is he willing to come off the bench and become the sixth man? What the Thunder don't want right now is to disrupt their preparation with Shai, Chet, and Jaylen Williams, and adding Bojan could in some ways take away those three's shots. I am worried.
I think this is as fair a deal as possible between these two teams. I don't know if I'll watch the Bojan vs. Thunder game. My rebuttal: Send Mike Muscala back to OKC for a future 2nd round pick and Poku.
(Photo of Bogdanovic and Reeves: Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
