The Detroit Pistons are the best team in the Eastern Conference, but there are a few teams on their heels trying to take first place from them. And, with all the teams in the West, including the reigning champs in the Oklahoma City Thunder, they need to get better, quick.
Fansided’s Ian Levy proposes they do so by making a trade with the Sacramento Kings for a star duo of Keegan Murray and Malik Monk. Both players would upgrade the Pistons' two worst weaknesses.
The proposed trade would look like this:
Pistons get: Keegan Murray, Malik Monk, Devin Carter
Kings get: Jaden Ivey, Tobias Harris, Paul Reed, 2027 first-round pick
“The Pistons, as currently constructed, have two big problems — frontcourt shooting and a lack of complementary shot-creation…Murray is a full-time 4 and a solid defender who also happens to be an elite shooter…He's young, on a reasonable contract, a perfect long-term replacement for Harris and a perfect long-term complement for Cunningham and Duren. Monk has his issues and is under contract for two more years, but he can be an electric scorer off the bench and comfortable playing off the ball next to Cunningham, testing the defense with both his shooting and speed. He doesn't offer anything close to Ivey's hypothetical ceiling, but he does the same things more reliably right now, and if the Pistons want to compete for a title this season he's far more useful,” Levy wrote.
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All of this makes sense for the Pistons. They get a high-volume shooter in Murray who’s on the same timeline as the Pistons’ core, and get another ballhandler in Monk behind Cade Cunningham to lead the second unit when he needs to take a breather.
If the Pistons are fine with their current roster, that’s ok. They’re the top of the East, but keep in mind, it’s a weak conference this year. If they want to compete for a championship, taking a look at this trade may be worth it.
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