The Detroit Pistons' 13-game winning streak may have come to an end on Wednesday night in a 117-114 heartbreaker against the Boston Celtics, but they remain the talk of the town amid their rise to true contending status in the Eastern Conference. Many insiders and analysts are looking for ways for the Pistons to improve the roster, although they haven't exactly shown any inclination that they want to pull off a blockbuster trade to expedite their rise to contention.
Some have viewed Lauri Markkanen to be the ideal addition for the Pistons, although that would require such a huge trade commitment from Detroit. Others have pointed out Trey Murphy as a logical Markkanen alternative, as he makes far less than the Utah Jazz star for the next four seasons.
But for ESPN insider Tim Bontemps, he floated Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving as the ideal running mate for Cade Cunningham in the Motor City.
“I would almost say ironically, I know he’s hurt right now, but I think the guy on the Mavs that if he became available I think would be a way better fit for the Pistons would be to get Kyrie Irving and put him next to Cade Cunningham,” Bontemps said on The Hoop Collective podcast.
“I think that’s the weakness that I think they have to address is to get a guy to go with Cade. So it’s not all on Cade to try to do it in the playoffs against big time opponents.”
Irving does not have a concrete timeline yet for a return from the torn ACL he suffered back in March. In an ideal world, perhaps the Pistons could target Irving. But the injury uncertainty makes that gambit rather impractical for one of the best teams in the league.
Pistons to play the long game?
Whenever a team rises to contending status, it becomes trendy for many to single them out as the most likely team to make a blockbuster trade to try and improve their chances of winning a title. This is what the Pistons are experiencing.
But the Pistons believe in this young core, and their 15-3 start to the new season has masked the fact that Jaden Ivey is not yet at full strength. Ivey has the potential to become Irving-esque in the way he plays off of Cunningham, and this Pistons front office appears to have the patience to wait out and see whether or not this young core can make it work.
