For the last several seasons, the Detroit Pistons and their fans haven’t had much to celebrate, although today (Dec. 13) might mark the biggest day of optimism in the Motor City since the Goin’ to Work squad was in their heyday.
At 10-16, the Pistons are in the Play-In picture and have finally seen some improvement after missing the postseason for each of the last five seasons. On top of that, rookie Ron Holland scored 26 points in 20 minutes on Thursday night, which is cause for celebration even as the Pistons fell to the Boston Celtics.
Between Cade Cunningham, Holland, Ausar Thompson, Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey, the Pistons have an underrated young core, although it’s safe to say that they are still a star away from competing in the Eastern Conference. The conventional train of thought has them drafting a premier player in 2025 to complement Cunningham as a star player, although the Pistons could get busy before the trade deadline.
With Isaiah Stewart, Paul Reed, Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Tobias Harris all rostered, the Pistons could make a deal for a star, and recent murmurings have them in the mix for Jimmy Butler.
“I do think adding someone like Butler, with a strong coach (Bickerstaff) in tow, could really help them ascend up the East,” wrote The Athletic’s Zach Harper on Friday. “Sometimes, we get too concerned with everybody being on the same timeline. I think it would be good for Cunningham, 23, to get a crash course in doing whatever it takes to extract wins out of tough moments.”
Hunter Patterson, who is the Pistons’ beat writer for the outlet, thinks adding a pick-and-roll threat around Cunningham makes more sense rather than chasing after Butler.
With legitimate contenders like the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns all showing some interest in Butler, a rebuilding, small-market team throwing their hat in the ring is very interesting.
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