The Detroit Pistons have $14 million available under the salary cap, meaning the path to adding talent at the NBA trade deadline is easier for them than any other team in the NBA. A recent report indicates that the Pistons are one of several teams interested in trading for Lonzo Ball of the Chicago Bulls. Ball, a guard who is in his first season back after two seasons lost to injury, has a $21.3 million expiring contract.
The move makes sense for the Pistons, who have a clear hole at backup lead guard following the loss of Jaden Ivey to a fractured fibula. While Ivey was a starter alongside Cade Cunningham, the Pistons would stagger minutes so that Ivey was the defacto backup point guard anytime Cunningham left the floor.
Ball is certainly not the shooter he was before his injury, but he still plays quality defense, and he still has high-level skill as a passer and playmaker for others. He is currently averaging 7 points, 3.5 assists, and 1.2 turnovers on a shooting line of 37/34/78 in 20 minutes per game.
Athletic writer Sam Vecinie championed this move in a recent column tossing out trade ideas. Vecine suggested a deal that would send Ball to the Pistons for Tim Hardaway’s expiring contract and two second-round picks.
There are ways to engineer a deal that wouldn’t technically cost Hardaway. You could design the deal around Simone Fontecchio, but he has guaranteed money beyond this season, so that might be less palatable for the Bulls.
If the deal includes Hardaway, you’re losing some valuable shooting but not much else. If the deal involved Fontecchio, he is also a shooter, though he has not been consistent this season.
The advantage of the Hardaway construction would be that it doesn’t eat as directly into your available cap space as THJ makes $16 million this season. The Fontecchio move does eat into pretty much all of the space reserved.
The Pistons might not want to do that because they could be looking to farm out that cap space as part of a multi-team deal that nets them extra picks. The extra picks they might then move for a player like Ball.
The Milwaukee Bucks, for example, sound like a team ready to make a significant move in order to maintain their place as one of the better teams in the East. They are above the second-apron so the only way to create some flexibility is to try and find a taker for a player like Pat Connaughton and his $9.4 million salary this year and next.
The problem is that the Bucks have only one second-round pick available between now and 2031. They do have a series of first-rounders, but those are obviously more valuable. Connaughton’s game has also seemingly fallen off a cliff, so you’re earmarking his salary for next season as a potential non-contributor and asking how much you need to take that on.
Who are other guards the Pistons might be interested in? A smaller deal for a Delon Wright reunion could work. Malcolm Brogdon would be an excellent stopgap option. Jevon Carter with the Bulls is the bargain version of Ball — a dogged defender who can’t shoot much. He also doesn’t pass as well as Ball, but that’s why he’s the bargain.
If the Pistons want to think bigger, they could likely pry away CJ McCollum from Tajan Langdon’s old home in New Orleans for not much in return. Would Langdon be interested? Great question.