NBA Market: Detroit Pistons, between going for a Markkanen or waiting for Ivey

The Detroit Pistons are experiencing an unexpected moment. Their season start, based on a physical and direct style, has placed them at the top of the Eastern Conference. However, even within this encouraging scenario, it is clearly perceived what piece is missing to turn this good present into a truly solid project: a reliable and versatile shooter like Lauri Markkanen. For now, it must be said, there is nothing in the NBA rumors.

The team has opted for a more traditional style of basketball, but that identity has also highlighted a clear deficiency on the perimeter. Detroit ranks very low in both volume and accuracy from beyond the arc, placing themselves at the bottom of the league in both made and attempted three-pointers. Many of the summer departures have exacerbated this issue: Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. are no longer with the team, and Jaden Ivey has yet to debut this season after his knee surgery. Only Cade Cunningham remains as an available and healthy perimeter reference.

The addition of Duncan Robinson has been a relief. With more than three triples per game and a high percentage, he has become an immediate solution, along with the unexpected impact of Daniss Jenkins on a two-way contract. Nevertheless, if Detroit wants their offense to grow and not rely so much on Cunningham or the interior presence of Jalen Duren, they need to add a shooter who can stretch opposing defenses in more demanding scenarios. In this sense, the figure of Markkanen would naturally fit due to his ability to open up the floor and his potential to integrate into a team that operates from solidity, rhythm, and discipline.

The great advantage for the franchise is that, for the first time since 2020, they fully control their future in the draft. They have their first-round pick for the next seven years, with the option to exchange picks and transfer up to four of them. In addition, they have a reserve of fourteen second-round picks, a capital that very few teams in the league can match. All this makes Detroit one of the best-positioned organizations to face an ambitious trade.

They also have financial flexibility. The team is well below the first apron and can take on significant contracts. The end of Tobias Harris's contract offers immediate flexibility, and the salaries of Robinson, Isaiah Stewart, or Caris LeVert offer various combinations to structure a major operation without compromising the young core.

Wait or Go All-In?

The other key point is the imminent return of Ivey. His time in the G League indicates that his return is very close, and his reintegration will open up a new scenario to assess the potential of this group. The team has learned to compete without him, but his speed, penetration ability, and outside threat could enhance an offense that still needs more diversity. There is interest within the franchise in seeing how this version of the Pistons performs with everyone available before making final decisions. Nevertheless, they should seize the moment, not settle, and explore potential opportunities, either with Markkanen or Antetokounmpo while the Eastern Conference is in flux.

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