Even though the NBA Finals are in full swing, we are officially in trade season. With the NBA Draft only three weeks away and the start of free agency four weeks away, the rumor mill has already begun to work overtime. There will be plenty of speculation and fake trades over the next month, and the Detroit Pistons will be in the middle of a ton of these.
Thanks to their cap space, assets, and desperate need to take a step forward, the Pistons are everyone's favorite fake trade partner.
This wasn't the case when NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that Jaylen Brown could be on the move this summer. Fischer only named the Pelicans, Rockets, Blazers, and the Hawks as potential landing spots in his live stream for Bleacher Report. However, if the rumblings are true and the Celtics are open to trading Brown, the Pistons could certainly emerge as a possibility.
Could Jaylen Brown be a Pistons target this summer?
Fischer added that it's still not clear that Brown and the Celtics are ready to go their separate ways. There were rumors after the season that the 29-year-old forward may be ready for a different opportunity and that he was dissatisfied in Boston.
The Celtics, as title contenders, would be hard-pressed to find a trade where they trade Brown away while still getting better in the present. So, they may have an incentive to keep the former Finals MVP happy and run it back with a fully healthy Jayson Tatum.
Even if the Pistons aren't the ones trading for Brown, breaking up the Tatum-Brown duo certainly helps Detroit. It weakens one of the few Eastern Conference contenders, to the benefit of the Pistons.
If the Pistons wanted to trade for Brown, what would that look like?
Brown makes $57 million next season and is under contract for two more years after that. This makes salary-matching a challenge. The Pistons could include Jalen Duren and/or Tobias Harris in a sign-and-trade. The Celtics need a starting center, and Duren would be an intriguing fit there. Ausar Thompson would also certainly be of interest to Boston.
Giving up both Duren and Thompson would be an overpay for the Pistons. The trade package could either look like Duren plus draft capital, or Thompson, Isaiah Stewart, and Caris LeVert plus draft capital. What that draft capital looks like will be key. If it's just a first-rounder or two and a swap right, the Pistons should happily make the trade. If it's more, then the decision will be tougher.
On paper, Brown is the type of player the Pistons need next to Cade Cunningham. He can play on and off the ball and has thrived as a second option behind Tatum. He is an elite wing defender and would allow the Pistons to maintain their defensive identity.
The problem here is whether the Celtics would want to trade Brown to an Eastern Conference contender. This is a challenge trade where both teams may be hesitant to do business with each other.
Perhaps a third team would need to get involved to get this deal done, especially if the Celtics are looking for a star player in return for Brown. But the Pistons certainly have the assets to make this trade. Whether they will make Brown a priority this offseason and the Celtics will be willing to play ball remains to be seen.
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