The Detroit Pistons Can't Trade for Devin BookerIn a fairytale, Devin Booker would demand to be traded to Detroit this summer, but in reality, the Pistons have no pathway to trading for a player of Booker's caliber.The Pistons should have drafted Devin Booker when the franchise had the chance. There is no chance in hell Detroit will be able to trade for him now. Following an embarrassing 4-0 sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, speculation has ramped up on what the Phoenix Suns will do after a disappointing season. Locally, fans have reacted exactly how you would expect them to. Devin Booker to the Pistons tweets have come in droves. And while he would be a massive get for Detroit - a true game changer - it just isn’t going to happen. Here’s why: Mat IshbiaThe Phoenix Suns are owned by Mat Ishbia - who took over the team in December of 2022. He wants to win. And he’s proven he is willing to spend to do so. What makes people think that after one disappointing season, led by the big three of Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal, Ishbia will tear things down? He won’t. If anything, Ishbia is going to double down. He has already done so with Grayson Allen, who inked a four-year, $70 million extension with the Suns a few weeks back. Phoenix will make changes this offseason, but unless Booker or Durant demand a trade themselves, they are going nowhere. A new coach and an improved supporting cast may be on the horizon, meaning the Suns will be buyers this summer - not sellers. The CompetitionIn a world in which the Suns did decide to trade Booker, there would be at least a dozen other teams besides Detroit interested in acquiring the star guard. The Pistons’ best assets are:
Cunningham is not getting traded. Whatever combination of Detroit’s other assets isn’t enough to fetch Booker, either. There are teams with over a dozen future first-round picks, like the Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz. The San Antonio Spurs have all of the franchise’s first-round picks available as well as young, talented players in Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, and Jeremy Sochan. In a world in which Phoenix decides to move one of their stars for a package of players that can immediately come in and contribute on top of recouping multiple first-round picks, several teams can meet that asking price. Detroit isn’t one of them. I am not saying Ivey and Duren don’t have any value. They do. But it’s fair to say both have seen their stock drop after an underwhelming sophomore season in the NBA. The Pistons also have their first-round pick through 2028 tied up in protection hell with the New York Knicks. They can’t package their 2024 and 2026 together in a trade, which hinders their ability to make meaningful trades - like one for Booker. The RealityDevin Booker isn’t realistic for Detroit. The Pistons will have to operate a tier below. Players like Brandon Ingram and Dejounte Murray will be more obtainable at a price that Detroit can better meet. They may not be as big of a name or as good of a player as Booker, but a player of Ingram or Murray’s caliber would certainly help the Pistons avoid being a 14-win team again. We’ll mail you a random Pistons item off eBay……if you refer 25 friends to subscribe to Palace of Pistons. Click this button to share POP with a Pistons fan in your life. The item will be ∼$25 in value. Did someone send this to you? |
|