The Detroit Pistons were one of the biggest surprises from this NBA season as they earned a postseason spot. Despite Detroit being at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings for multiple years, the team seemed to put things together this year.
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The Piston fell short of winning a playoff series, losing in six games to the New York Knicks. But Detroit showed a lot of fight in the matchup, giving New York allthey could handle.
Now entering the offseason, the goal for the Pistons is simple. Detroit needs to co tinue building around star guard Cade Cunningham, which could see them potentially make a splash time of move this summer.
In a new trade scenario by Eddie Bitar of Fadeaway World, the Pistons find the perfect co-star for Cunningham. The deal would involve the Utah Jazz, landing star center Lauri Markkanen in Detroit.
Here is how the deal would look:
Detroit Pistons Receive: Lauri Markkanen
Utah Jazz Receive: Jaden Ivey, Tobias Harris, 2025 First-Round Pick, 2027 First-Round Pick (top-5 protected)
“At 7 feet tall, Markkanen would give Cade Cunningham the perfect stretch-big partner because he can space the floor, attack mismatches, and score at all three levels. For a Pistons team that often struggled with floor spacing around Cade, adding Markkanen would open up driving lanes and allow Cunningham to fully leverage his playmaking gifts. This pairing would scream modern NBA offense.”
Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images
Putting Markkanen into the Detroit offense could help unlock a entirely new version of this team. His ability to space the floor would allow the Pistons to spread the ball around more, opening things up against defenses.
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Markkanen would also force opponents to think twice about double-teaming Cunningham, freeing him up a little.
The veteran averaged 19.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 0.7 steals per game for the Jazz. Markkanen dealt with some injuries this past year that limited him to just 47 games for Utah.
But in the time that he did get on the court, he was very effective. Detroit could use a player like Markkanen if they want to take that next step toward true title contention.
This will be a massive offseason for the Pistons, and the front office has a lot of work to do moving forward.
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