The Detroit Pistons took a massive step forward last season, going from a 14-win group to a playoff team. After forcing the Knicks into a tough, six-game series, the future in Detroit looks brighter than it has in a long time.
Yet, taking the next step will be harder than the initial step to relevance. It requires a delicate balance of staying competitive in the present while having an eye on the future.
When young teams overachieve, there can be a tendency among front offices to accelerate the team-building process. The sweet taste of winning in the now can force teams into making the mistake of thinking they are closer than they are to being contenders, causing them to risk their futures for short-term goals.
That is exactly what the Pistons need to avoid this offseason. This means not trading for a star to pair with Cade Cunningham just to trade for one.
Pistons Shouldn't Trade for Zion Williamson
Ever since Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz made the prediction that Detroit would trade for Zion Williamson this summer, Pistons Twitter has been divided into two camps. While some argue that bringing in a singular offensive force as talented as Williamson would help bring the Pistons to another level, the other side understandably brings up injury-related concerns. The 24-year-old power forward has missed 117 games in the last three seasons, after all.
Perhaps even more important than the availability issue, however, is Zion's poor fit with the team. The Pistons already have limited spacing, playing a traditional center and Ausar Thompson together for extended minutes. Considering the fact that Thompson, along with Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, is a key part of this core for the foreseeable future, adding another non-shooter in Williamson to the mix doesn't make too much sense.
The Pistons will have a few bullets to fire in trades to find high-end talent to pair with Cunningham. They have enough young players and draft capital to make competitive offers. Using some of those assets on a massive question mark in Zion Williamson (who also makes over $40 million in annual average salary over the next three years), would be a mistake that could limit Detroit's ceiling in the long run.