Some Detroit Pistons fans are frustrated with the organization for not swinging big on the trade market. Despite several big transactions involving superstars shaking up the NBA landscape, the Pistons opted for smaller moves. GM Trajan Langdon decided to keep their powder dry and maintain their flexibility for the future.
The Athletic's Hunter Patterson revealed that the reason for this was the high asking price for "certain star players", which he described as young talent, three first-round selections, and multiple pick swaps. He added that the Pistons "couldn't rationalize jeopardizing their future to make a win-now move in a shortened window."
He mentions Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and Trey Murphy as names that the Pistons may have decided against pursuing. What the exact asking price for these players was is unclear, but at least we know what it took to acquire Leonard and Jaylen Brown this summer, and neither player cost the acquiring teams as much.
Should the Pistons have gone after Leonard or Brown, knowing what we know about what it took to trade for them?
Case for Jaylen Brown
Philadelphia acquired Brown for Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks. This is nowhere near the value Patterson described in his column.
George is a negative value contract making $54.1 million next year, with a player option for $56.5 million the following year. The fact that the Sixers were able to acquire Brown by attaching only two first-round picks is a massive win.
The Pistons could have easily beaten that offer. Maybe they wouldn't have been able to trade them a player as good as PG13, but a package consisting of Isaiah Stewart, Duncan Robinson, Caris LeVert, and Ron Holland, plus multiple first-round picks, is stronger than Philly's package. Even if the Celtics weren't interested in every single one of these players, the deal could have been expanded to more teams.
The important thing here is the value of the assets, and the Pistons have the Sixers beat. This means that Detroit chose not to trade for Brown. Given his perfect fit next to Cade Cunningham as the secondary creator, a role he has mastered in Boston, Brown could have been the missing piece in Detroit's title pursuit.
Case for Kawhi Leonard
This is admittedly a harder decision. Leonard has signaled to the league that he was only willing to sign an extension with the Raptors or the Spurs. This likely would have been a one-year rental for the Pistons.
Given the trade package Toronto acquired him for, maybe Detroit should still have gotten involved. The Raptors traded away Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, a first-round pick swap, and two second-round picks.
Ingram and Dick are neutral value at best. They were included in the deal for salary-matching purposes. The real value is the two first-round picks and a pick swap.
Given how much draft capital the Pistons have, giving that up for one year of Leonard may not have been the worst decision. They would have also needed to give up a package consisting of Robinson, LeVert, and Stewart to match salaries.
Trading for a 35-year-old Leonard for just one year is not the same as the Raptors trading for him as a one-year rental back in 2018. So, this one is understandable for the Pistons' part.
At the same time, claiming that the asking price for stars was simply too high doesn't pass the smell test. We saw how much Leonard and Brown went for, and it's difficult to imagine that Durant or Irving would have cost more given their age and injury history.
It may not be clear whether the Pistons made a mistake by not trading for Leonard or Brown. What is clear, however, is that they made a mistake by not being more aggressive in going after stars, given the asking price.
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