With almost halfway through the season, the Pistons have only achieved a dismal record of 9 wins and 30 losses. Although the team's record is not satisfactory, many young players have taken advantage of the team's reconstruction to play a good performance, from time to time to bring surprises to the fans.
Not long ago, the Pistons beat the defending champion Bucks led by Alphabet Brother. At the same time, the Champion Lang Cunningham they selected also gradually cashed in on his talent and assumed the heavy responsibility of reviving the team.
In addition to the lack of standards in terms of projection, Cunningham has performed well in both the scoring and assist ends, averaging 15.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game, and I believe that under continuous training, he can definitely become the pistons' star in the future.
However, with the rise of Cunningham, it also made the position of the previous team's boss Grant a little awkward. Plagued by a thumb injury, he has watched from the sidelines since the game against the Pelicans on December 11, 2021.
Currently, Grant is averaging 20.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. Although the overall state has regressed slightly from last season, according to NBA celebrity Shams, Grant has attracted the attention of many teams.
Among them, including the Lakers, Wizards, Knicks, Trail Blazers and other teams, they are all chasing this forward player who is in the current year. For the Pistons, Grant is one of the few valuable players in the squad.
In addition, the team has recently under the leadership of Cunningham, and the emphasis on conducting the ball more quickly is much better than the previous Grant team in terms of record and specific content of the game.
If the Pistons receive a good offer, it's not impossible to get Grant out of the team so that the team's young players can develop more. After all, Grant, under the Pistons' existing lineup, basically plays the role of the team's ball-carrying scorer.
So Grant's deal, in addition to giving the team's young players more opportunities to play, is more important to allow the team to establish their overall direction in the future in the trading market, free market and draft meetings under the style of the ball suitable for Cunningham.
Compared with the teams mentioned by Shams before, especially the Lakers, they basically can't give any suitable chips. So from the actual situation, the following two Eastern teams seem to be more likely to become Grant's next home.
First, the Hawks have a good chance of completing the deal. If the Hawks can pack Gallinari and Reddish, the old and the young, then it is possible to change to Grant, plus Josh Jackson.
At present, the Hawks are only fourth from the bottom in the East, and their proud defensive efficiency is only 113.1 in the 26th place in the league. Compared to their record of reaching the Eastern Conference Finals last season, this season's performance is absolutely extremely unqualified.
If the Hawks can trade Grant, then in addition to finding a scorer for Trae Young who can carry the ball and attack without the ball, it is more important to improve the team's one-sided defense ability.
As for Jackson, he's just a dispensable player for the Hawks. If performed well, his athleticism and scoring could help the team. If there is no performance, then it is not a pity for the eagles with deep bench.
For the Pistons, Gallinari is just a salary match, plus his contract next season is only 5 million guaranteed, if the cooperation with Gallinari is not pleasant, it is possible to pay the 5 million and cut him.
Instead, Redish is the focus of the deal. The 22-year-old striker swinger played his career-best this season, averaging 12.7 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game, shooting 40.2 percent, 37.9 percent and 90 percent from 40.
Not long ago, Reddish single-core led the team to play against the Magic, and cut a career-high 34 points. At the same time, in terms of defense, Reddish's height and hips also give him the potential to become a top defensive player.
This Ducco graduate, whose template is Paul George's, does have a lot of talent to dig up. In this trade, the Pistons can get a forward swing man with a good ceiling, whether it is offensively or defensively, it can help the team.
If Redish can really play a good performance in the Pistons, then I believe that in the future, the duo led by him and Cunningham in the forward position will be highly anticipated by everyone.
Another potential team is the Chicago Bulls, the league's big dark horse team this season. They can choose to pack up Patrick Williams and Jones Jr. in exchange for Grant.
This season, the Bulls have been in the top of the East after forming a big four with ball brothers + DeRozan + Ravin + Vucevic. However, in the forward position, the Bulls have been relatively lacking, and even once had to let Lavin or DeRozan make a cameo appearance in the No. 3 position.
But Grant, who is 2.03 meters tall, is not only perfectly qualified for the No. 3 position, but also can sometimes make a cameo appearance in the No. 4 position. It just so happens that the current team coach Donovan is the mentor of Grant when he played for the Thunder.
Donovan knows how to use Grant and maximizes his strengths. It is believed that after the Bulls get Grant, in addition to improving the team's defensive intensity, they can also add a major scoring point for the team that can hold the ball and no ball.
If Grant can be traded, the Bulls' ultimate goal this season is definitely not just the playoffs. The Eastern Finals and even the Finals can indeed be imagined.
And for the Pistons, Patrick Williams actually attracted the Pistons as early as the 2020 draft, but was cut off by the Bulls, who was holding the number four pick at the time. At that time, there were only no 7-picked Pistons, and they could only choose a defender.
In addition to Being able to switch to different positions when defending, Williams also has a lot of potential in attack. Because you can both go inside the box and pull up to the outside to shoot three-point shots.
What's more, Williams and the Pistons' young players, including Cunningham and Sadik Bay, are similar in age. This means they can hone and grow together, and later become the Pistons' signature star.
Jones Jr. is just the addition to the deal, and he is also on an expiring contract. If the Pistons don't want to continue working with him, they can not sign him back in the free market, which will not affect the team's salary situation and the team's future operating space.
In the end, which team Grant will go to, it is not yet known, but for Lakers fans should be able to give up, after all, Pelinka really can't come up with any suitable chips, just think about it!