Within the first 72 hours of NBA free agency, the Detroit Pistons secured Tobias Harris with a two-year, $52 million deal (yikes!) and still have around $28 million in cap space left. Their new president of basketball operations, Trajan Langdon, aims to utilize the extra space by acquiring unwanted contracts to gain draft assets. In The Athletic, James L. Edwards III explains how Detroit, needing to reach the salary floor and fill their roster, might target financially constrained teams like the New York Knicks for mutually beneficial trades.
The Knicks, having acquired Mikal Bridges and retained OG Anunoby, now boast one of the NBA’s best wing duos but face the risk of being hard-capped. To avoid this, they need to shed $4.3 million in salary. Detroit can leverage its financial flexibility by trading for Mitchell Robinson, Miles McBride, a 2025 first-round pick, and future second-round picks in exchange for Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey. This trade provides Detroit with a proven center, a backup point guard, and their future first-round pick while helping the Knicks shed $6.5 million in salary and gain young talent.
Such a trade would be a heartbreaker (for the less calcified among us), as Mitch and Deuce are beloved personalities. It would also leave the Knicks still short one center on the depth chart, by our calculations.
Jalen Duren was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets as the 13th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. He was immediately traded to the Knicks for multiple draft picks, including a 2023 first-round pick and several second-round picks. Days later, the Knicks traded Duren, along with Kemba Walker, to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for a conditional 2025 first-round pick from Milwaukee and a trade exception.
The 6’10”, 250 lb center with a remarkable wingspan of 7 feet 5 inches had an impressive 2023-24 season in Detroit, averaging 13.8 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game across 61 games. In his last 13 games, he averaged 14.1 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists, with noteworthy performances including a 24-point, 23-rebound game against Toronto and a 20-point, 17-rebound game against Washington. The Pistons absolutely stunk last season, but Duren was a bright spot. Duren frequently shot over 80% from the field and improved his free throw shooting to 79%, while also contributing defensively with blocks and steals. The big fella has a promising future and is still just 20 years old. A replacement for Mitch? Sure, that makes sense.
In the 2023-24 season, 22-year-old Jaden Ivey averaged 15.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game, and improved to 16.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and five assists in his last 10 games. Notable performances included a 37-point game against Sacramento, a double-double with 16 points and 10 assists against the Nets, and a 31-point game against Memphis. For the season, he shot 42.9% from the field and 33.9% from three-point range.
Despite some minor injuries, Ivey played a key role in Detroit, especially when Cade Cunningham was sidelined, showing growth as a scorer and playmaker, solidifying his importance to the Pistons’ roster. The idea of swapping him in for Deuce gives us pause. Ivey does not have the defensive or long-range shooting chops of Deuce, and he costs nearly double the price. Ivey will make $7.9 million in 2024-25 and $10.1 M the next season. McBride’s contract for the next three seasons?
McBride has proven to be more of a shooting guard than a point, and with Donte DiVincenzo as the backup shooting guard behind Bridges, minutes at that position will likely be hard to come by. Ivey could run point on the second unit, and the Knicks drafted a point guard, Tyler Kolek, last month. As much as we adore Deuce’s game, he looks more and more like the odd-man out as the Knicks wrangle with financials this offseason.
What do you think about the proposed Detroit trade? For what it’s worth, Edwards also proposes trades that could be made between the Pistons and Los Angeles Lakers or Milwaukee Bucks. Read the full article here.
