If you haven’t been paying attention, the Detroit Pistons are making noise this season.
Yes, the Pistons are 21-19, good for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, quiet as kept. Their young nucleus, led by Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren, has risen to the occasion and strung together a torrid 8-2 stretch throughout their last 10 games to sit above .500.
With their best player in Cunningham playing like a legitimate All-Star behind 24.5 points, 9.4 assists, and 6.6 rebounds per game, Detroit has a ripe opportunity to form a dangerous backcourt that can lead the Pistons to a Cinderella playoff run next spring and lay the foundation for a championship rise in years to come.
Pistons make power play trade for Kings star De’Aaron Fox
Forbes’ Evan Sidery has reported for weeks on end that the Sacramento Kings are looking to move their vaunted point guard De’Aaron Fox. The Pistons could jump on this opportunity to add an elite clutch scorer and former All-Star floor general by offering the Kings a trade package along the lines of:
Pistons get: De’Aaron Fox
Kings get: Jaden Ivey, Tobias Harris, a future first-round pick, and a future second-round pick.
Financially, Detroit would have to match the $34.84 million and $37M that Fox is slated to make this and next season respectively. Harris has the same amount of time left on his current deal and will take home $25.36 million in 2024-25 and 26.63 million in 2025-26 before hitting unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2026. Ivey is under contract for three more years, where he’ll earn $7.97 million this season and roughly $2-$3 million more in the following two campaigns, the latter of which being a $13.4 million qualifying offer.
Detroit could upset East’s top teams in playoffs with Fox
Thus, the money works. The Pistons could fast-track their ascent by adding Fox. This season, the Kentucky product is averaging 26.6 PPG, 6.1 APG, 5.1 RPG, and 1.6 steals per contest on 48.8 percent shooting from distance. Fox would give Detroit an electric showstopper who can blaze through the open court, up the pace for the young franchise, and deliver down the stretch like few others in the league can.
Fox can also play at a calmer pace. He has one of the most reliable floaters in the Association and knows how to weave through defenses in the half-court. There’s not much to dislike about the 27-year-old’s current arsenal, age, and durability. He and Cunningham could evolve into the NBA’s premier backcourt for a decade-plus. The Pistons would be one three-and-d combo forward and a dynamic bench scorer away from truly putting fear in the hearts of the East’s best teams.
Kings would also win on many fronts in Fox mock trade
As for Sacramento, they would get a promising young point guard in Ivey who was coming into his own and living up to being the No. 5 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft with averages of 17.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and four APG on 46 percent shooting from the field and 40.9 percent connection from three-point range. They’d also inherit a talented scorer in Harris who could pair well next to Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan on a more veteran, interior-oriented roster in Sac-town. Adding two enticing future picks to the mix gives the Kings a cherry on top.