For too long the Pistons have been stuck in purgatory. They're not good enough to get past the first round in the playoffs but also not bad enough to get a top lottery pick. As a Pistons fan, it really hurts. My most earliest memories of the Pistons start off with the Greg Monroe and Brandon Knight days and sadly, ever since then, the Pistons haven't had a real chance at winning. Because of this, I am a firm believer in the Pistons having to blow up their team.
They made right strides by trading Andre Drummond (reports said he was not interested in resigning) even though they did not receive an amazing bargain in return. With expiring contracts, the Pistons can afford to bid on younger guys who are on teams that simply cannot afford them anymore during free agency or to save cap flexibility for later. Additionally, the Pistons will also have a top lottery pick in this year's draft. If the Pistons continue to do poorly for the next 2-3 years, I firmly believe they will have an extremely strong base for the future. You can look at the Atlanta Hawks and how they followed a very similar process by drafting Trae Young, John Collins, DeAndre Hunter, and Cam Reddish. With the addition of Clint Cappella, they will be a force for the incoming years. I believe the Pistons can replicate this process.
This whole process depends on the Pistons ability to trade pieces while they still have value. The 3 most valuable pieces on the Pistons team as of now are: Blake Griffin, Derrick Rose, and Christian Wood. I think it is ESSENTIAL the Pistons resign Christian Wood as soon as they can because he has been putting up star numbers (He's only 24 too so his best years are ahead of him). However, I see two different possibilities for trades with Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose. Either they get traded individually or they get traded together. Derrick Rose deserves to play on a contending team and if the Pistons were to receive a first round pick and some other picks or young players, I think they should accept that trade immediately. As for Blake Griffin, no one knows how he's going to play after coming back from injury which might drop his value. Additionally, he has a HUGE salary hit so many teams will try to avoid him. Because of this, I believe he has to be traded to a team that is contending but struggles in the playoffs or has a disgruntled star. Possible teams might include the Trail Blazers, Suns, Nets, and Wizards. The Nets could add a third superstar to Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant; the Trail Blazers are in desperate need of a PF and a big man especially if Hassan Whiteside leaves; the Wizards have a disgruntled star in Bradly Beal so if they could make him content by getting another all star, I am sure they would; and the Suns have the salary cap along with a disgruntled Devin Booker so adding an all star might make him happy.
However, the one trade I would LOVE as a Pistons fan is a trade including Derrick Rose AND Blake Griffin (maybe along with a couple of second round picks) to the Suns for Kelly Oubre Jr., Ricky Rubio, and their first round pick this year (Predicted to be 10). This makes sense for the Suns because they get an amazing point guard to pair up with Devin Booker (one that can score when Booker is cold but also assist him when he's hot) and another potential all-star in Blake Griffin (currently, their PF is Dario Saric but Blake Griffin is definitely an upgrade). This makes sense for the Pistons because they get a true SF in Kelly Oubre Jr. Additionally, they get a temporary point guard in Ricky Rubio and a lottery pick which they can use to draft a young star. The point of this trade is to put the Suns in a position to contend (because they have a disgruntled Devin Booker and an upcoming star in DeAndre Ayton so getting a young piece instead of proven stars might want to make Devin Booker leave because he wants to win NOW) and to put the Pistons in a position to gather younger pieces and lose more so they get future lottery picks (they are losing star power that might potentially help them win in the future).
For many, this trade might not be realistic but we've seen crazier things this season so who knows, maybe the Pistons might hire me as their GM
For the most part, I agree with your analysis. It's crucial that we hang onto Wood, especially after his brilliant performance despite being infected by the coronavirus. However, I don't think a Rose trade will ever happen. Rose has expressed interest in staying close to his family in Chicago, and it seems the Piston's front office plan to keep him as a mentor to the younger players.
Hey Sunny! I agree with the fact that the Suns would want talent that would not get hurt. But I would argue that the only reason that Rose and Griffin do get hurt is because the amount of work load that was placed on them. Griffin was the primary scorer and ball handler last season so the higher usage rate you have, the more likely you are to get hurt. A similar thing is happening with Rose right now where the Pistons have placed a lot of load on to him. However, on the Suns, Devin Booker will be the main ball handler and scorer. Additionally, DeAndre Ayton will be a viable second option which will make Griffin/Rose a third…
That Suns trade is cool but they need talent that won’t get hurt. Rose and Griffin can’t be relied upon for big production anymore and Oubre has been balling I feel like if the Suns were to trade him it’d be for something bigger. I can see Rose getting traded to a top 4 seed in either conference but Griffin will be here until his contract is up for sure he has limited value now.