The Detroit Pistons are no longer a rebuilding story. At 20-5 and first in the East, they have arrived as a real contender, powered by Cade Cunningham turning into an MVP-level player and earning the East’s Player of the Month Award for November.
Even with that leap and a nasty supporting cast around him, there is still one obvious idea on the board. If the Pistons want to slam this window wide open, they can try to drop another superstar next to Cade and dare the league to keep up.
We start with the loudest swing of all.
1. Anthony Davis
Proposed Trade Idea
Detroit Pistons Receive: Anthony Davis, 2030 second-round pick (via 76ers)
Dallas Mavericks Receive: Tobias Harris, Jaden Ivey, Ronald Holland II, 2027 first-round pick (via Pistons)
This is the kind of move that would flip the power balance in both conferences.
Anthony Davis is averaging 20.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists on 51.7% from the field for the Dallas Mavericks this season. The raw numbers are still All-Star level when he plays. The impact on defense is even bigger. Put that version of Davis behind the Pistons’ already solid scheme, and suddenly you are talking about maybe the best defense in basketball for the next two or three years.
From the Pistons’ side, this is simple. Cunningham is already playing like a top-10 guy. He’s turned the team into an offensive machine that still has room to grow once the spacing gets cleaner.
Pair him with a healthy Davis and Jalen Duren, and you are looking at a trio that owns every inch of the half-court. Cade runs everything at the top, Davis wrecks teams as a roller and short-roll playmaker, Duren lives on lobs and putbacks.
Yes, it hurts to lose Jaden Ivey and Ron Holland. Ivey is one of Detroit’s biggest wild cards, a 23-year-old guard with real burst and self-creation flashes. Holland is already giving them two-way minutes on the wing and projects as the exact type of athletic forward every contender wants. Throwing in a 2027 first on top of both is heavy.
But stars cost real assets, and Davis is still that level of player. For a Pistons team that is already 20-5 and trying to win right now, you can justify cashing in some future upside to chase a title while Cade is on this level.
For the Mavericks, the logic is almost the opposite. They are 10-16 and trying to reset around Cooper Flagg after the Davis experiment has produced more empty box scores than wins.
In one move, they would get a starting forward in Harris, a high-upside guard in Ivey, a long-term wing in Holland, and another first-round pick to retool the roster.
If the Pistons believe in Davis’ health and see this as a two or three-year championship window, this is the kind of all-in swing that makes way too much sense on paper.
2. Domantas Sabonis
Proposed Trade Idea
Detroit Pistons Receive: Domantas Sabonis
Sacramento Kings Receive: Tobias Harris, Isaiah Stewart, Marcus Sasser, 2027 first-round pick, 2028 second-round pick, 2030 second-round pick
Domantas Sabonis might be the cleanest on-court fit of any star the Pistons could chase. He is averaging 17.2 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists on 51.0% from the field this season, still one of the best passing bigs and rebounders in the league.
Drop him next to Cade Cunningham and the entire offense levels up. Give him a DHO hub like Sabonis, and you get brutal two-man actions at the elbows, constant motion, and shooters flying off handoffs while Jalen Duren lives on lobs and duck-ins.
Sabonis also fits the Pistons’ identity. They already rebound at a high level and love to play through Cade’s IQ. Sabonis adds another elite decision-maker who can push the ball, hit cutters, and punish single coverage on the block. Defensively, he is not Anthony Davis, but he is strong, physical, and a smart positional defender who can survive in playoff schemes if the perimeter in front of him is locked in.
The cost is real. Harris’ expiring money, Stewart’s multi-year deal, Sasser as a young guard, plus three picks, is a heavy package. Stewart, in particular, has been big for the Pistons, stretching to the corners, defending multiple positions, and giving them toughness inside. Sasser is cheap guard depth with some microwave scoring upside.
For the Kings, though, this is exactly the kind of “reset without tanking” offer that is hard to ignore. If they decide they have hit their ceiling with a Sabonis-led group that keeps staying out of the postseason, flipping him for a starting-caliber forward in Harris, a young big in Stewart, a rotation guard, and three picks is a pretty clean retool. They stay competitive, open more cap flexibility once Harris comes off the books, and load up on draft capital.
From the Pistons’ side, you are basically saying: Cade plus Sabonis plus Duren is the offensive ecosystem for the next three years. With Cade already playing at an MVP level, that is a bet you can absolutely justify.
3. Pascal Siakam
Proposed Trade Idea
Detroit Pistons Receive: Pascal Siakam, Quenton Jackson
Indiana Pacers Receive: Tobias Harris, Duncan Robinson, 2026 first-round pick, 2028 first-round pick, 2027 second-round pick, 2030 second-round pick
On paper, this is a win-now move for the Pistons and a reset button for the Pacers.
Pascal Siakam is still playing like a top-tier forward. He is averaging 24.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists this season while shooting 48.1% from the field, leading the Pacers in all three categories on a struggling 6-19 team that sits 14th in the East.
He is on a four-year $188.95 million max extension with an average annual salary of about $47.2 million, which means he’ll be 35 in the last year of his deal, earning over $50 million.
But still, drop that player into a Pistons group that is leading the East, and it gets scary fast. Siakam gives Cade a true co-star who can punish mismatches, attack closeouts, and act as a secondary playmaker when defenses send extra bodies at him at the top of the floor.
A starting five of Cunningham, Ausar Thompson, Siakam, Jalen Duren, and one more shooter would be a nightmare to defend. Siakam and Duren would own the glass, both can screen and roll, and Siakam’s ability to grab a rebound and push the break fits perfectly with the way the Pistons already want to play.
Defensively, Siakam can still switch across three or four positions and take the toughest forward assignment, which takes pressure off Cade and lets Thompson roam.
For the Pacers, this is basically admitting that the current window is closed. With Tyrese Haliburton out for the season and the team stuck one year after a Finals run, there is a real argument for cashing out on Siakam at peak value.
Harris’ $26.6 million expiring deal comes off the books in July, Robinson gives them another movement shooter under contract, and four picks spread from 2026 to 2030 rebuild the cupboard they emptied to get Siakam in the first place.
It would hurt to move a player who just signed long-term, and it is the kind of trade that signals a full reset. For the Pistons, though, locking in a Cade and Siakam core while they are already at the top of the conference might be exactly the kind of aggressive swing that turns this run into a real championship era.
4. Zach LaVine
Proposed Trade Idea
Detroit Pistons Receive: Zach LaVine, Keon Ellis
Sacramento Kings Receive: Tobias Harris, Duncan Robinson, Jaden Ivey, 2026 first-round pick
Zach LaVine is the definition of a boom-or-bust superstar swing. He is still a 20.6 points-per-game scorer with legit three-level shot creation, and when he gets hot, he can single-handedly flip a game in a few minutes.
The contract is the scary part: $47 million this season and almost $50 million in the final year. That is max-money for a player who has a real injury history and offers limited defensive value.
For the Pistons, the appeal is obvious: they add a pure scorer who can live off secondary actions, attack tilted defenses, and close quarters next to their main creator. LaVine would not have to run the show, just hunt mismatches, hit pull-up threes, and punish teams that load up on the primary star. Ellis coming with him is a nice touch, giving the backcourt another cheap 3-and-D guard to soak up tough assignments.
For the Kings, this is about cutting bait before the contract becomes completely toxic. They are sitting almost at the bottom of the West, the LaVine gamble has not lifted their ceiling, and the cap sheet is getting heavy.
Harris gives them a big expiring number, Robinson adds more shooting on a controllable deal, and Ivey is the real upside play as a young guard with burst and on-ball juice. Add a 2026 first on top, and suddenly the Kings have both flexibility and future assets instead of being locked into an underachieving core.
It is a massive financial commitment for the Pistons and a pretty loud white flag for the Kings, but in terms of pure basketball fit and risk-reward balance, this is exactly the kind of aggressive LaVine move that would get both front offices thinking.
5. Lauri Markkanen
Proposed Trade Idea
Detroit Pistons Receive: Lauri Markkanen
Utah Jazz Receive: Tobias Harris, Isaiah Stewart, 2026 first-round pick, 2028 first-round pick, 2030 first-round pick
If the Pistons ever decide to go all in on a true offensive co-star for Cunningham, Lauri Markkanen is exactly the kind of target that keeps rival GMs up at night. He is in the middle of a monster year for the Jazz, averaging 27.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists on 46.9% from the field, and he already has 40 and 50-point explosions on the season.
This is not a rental either. Markkanen signed a five-year $238 million renegotiation and extension in 2024, and his 2025-26 salary sits at about $46.4 million. You are paying superstar money for a prime scoring forward who fits almost any lineup you want to build.
From the Pistons’ point of view, the appeal is obvious. Markkanen gives them an elite floor spacer at 7’1 who can score off movement, pick-and-pop, or straight isolations. He bends defenses horizontally in a way few bigs can, which opens driving lanes for every guard on the roster and creates cleaner reads for their playmakers.
Put him next to Duren, and you have a high-low combo that can both punish switches and keep the paint clean for drivers.
The other benefit is versatility. Markkanen can comfortably play the 3 or the 4 in bigger lineups and slide to small-ball 5 in certain matchups. That lets the coaching staff toggle between jumbo groups that crush the glass and faster groups with more spacing without ever taking their second star off the floor.
For the Jazz, this is the kind of Godfather offer you listen to when you are 9-15, stuck near the bottom of the West and staring at a long rebuild. Harris gives them a massive expiring contract, Stewart is a young, physical big on a reasonable multi-year deal, and three future firsts spread from 2026 to 2030 completely restock a pick cupboard that has already been used to chase talent.
Moving Markkanen would hurt, and the Jazz front office has publicly framed him as a franchise pillar. Still, if they decide this core is not getting anywhere and a true reset is needed, a package built around two rotation players and three first-rounders from a rising contender is about as strong as it gets. For the Pistons, this is the cleanest “we are hunting titles right now” move on the board.
6. Zion Williamson
Proposed Trade Idea
Detroit Pistons Receive: Zion Williamson
New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Tobias Harris, Ronald Holland II, 2026 first-round pick, 2028 first-round pick
This is the ultimate swing-for-the-fences move.
Zion Williamson is still a monster when he is on the floor. For the 2025-26 season, he is averaging 22.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.0 assists, shooting 51.0% from the field and living in the paint like almost nobody else in the league.
Even on a broken offense, he bends entire defenses just by putting his head down.
The problem has never been peak performance. It is everything around it. Zion is currently out again with a right adductor strain, and his last few years are a long list of hamstring, back, and lower body issues.
The Pelicans are 4-22, dead last in the West, and local reporting keeps painting a picture of a franchise that is exhausted with the whole saga.
On top of that, his contract is huge but weirdly flexible. He is making $39.4 million this season, with non-guaranteed money that can climb to $44.9 million in 2027-28 if he hits games played triggers. That is star money with a very real downside if the injuries never stop.
Recent rumors say the Pelicans are finally ready to move on and would accept what has been described as a “decent, reasonable offer” rather than some Rudy Gobert-level haul.
This package fits that description. The Pelicans get Harris’ expiring salary, a premium young wing in Ronald Holland II, and two first-round picks to start over around Trey Murphy III, Derik Queen, and the rest of the young core.
For the Pistons, this is pure upside gambling. If Zion ever gives them two healthy playoff runs, the idea of him attacking tilted defenses next to their primary creator is terrifying. He would instantly become the most dominant interior scorer on the roster, a transition wrecking ball, and a foul-drawing machine who changes every game plan.
The flip side is obvious. You are tying a massive chunk of your cap and two future firsts to a player who has never proven he can stay on the court. This is not the safe, steady route. It is the type of move you only make if you are convinced your culture, medical staff, and locker room can finally get the best version of Zion and keep him there.
