Bill Simmons suggested the Pistons make a blockbuster trade with the Pelicans. Here’s the deal that has to happen

Whenever a team makes it all the way to contender status, they become a trendy choice to hit with an emergency trade to speed up said fight time frame. This is correct what the Detroit Pistons are experiencing at this very moment. With the 15-2 Pistons on a historic 13-game winning streak, some insiders and members of the media think it might be best for them to trade for a star who could help them go over the top.

Well-known podcaster and longtime NBA fan Bill Simmons was one of those who prompted the Pistons to possibly make a trade to improve their list. He suggested that Detroit reach a deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, a team currently languishing at the bottom of the Western Conference.

Now, it’s not entirely clear whether the Pelicans will be open for business. They should be desperate to turn things around, especially when they owe their unprotected first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks. But at 3-15, the Pelicans may have to accept that it will be borderline impossible for them to bounce back from this bad start, especially when they stay in the crowded West.

Can the Pistons take advantage of the Pelicans’ mess? And if so, which player should they target?

Who should the Pistons target in a trade with the Pelicans?

A team that’s 3-15 in the West should have everything available for a trade, but that’s unlikely to be the case with the Pelicans. They will hang on to Derrick Queen and Jeremiah Fears like their lives depended on it. But the rest of the team should become viable trade targets for the Pistons – now the question is who they should focus on.

Just to put it out there, The Pistons should never target Zion Williamson. Williamson, when healthy, is a force to be reckoned with. He gets to the rim relentlessly, and with his combination of size, strength, speed and agility, he’s such an unstoppable force when he gets close to the basket.

But he might be the most injury-prone star in the league, and the Pistons wouldn’t want to go near him — not when they already have a solid starting power forward in Auzar Thompson who fits better alongside Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren since he doesn’t handle the ball and his sole focus on the court is earning the life of a star living on his period.

Someone like Herb Jones could also be a reasonable trade target for the Pistons. Jones is the kind of player who can fit into any team; he’s one of the best on-ball defenders in the league, he’s a pest in passing, and he’s no longer someone defenses can dare shoot at from beyond the arc.

Jones is currently shooting 36.2 percent from deep, which is more than respectable. And with the open shots he’s sure to have alongside Cunningham, that efficiency could be even better.

But Jones is currently sidelined with a calf strainand that’s always going to give teams pause moving forward given how many of the game’s stars rupture their Achilles after returning. Defense is also not a top priority for the Pistons, not when they already have Thompson, Ron Holland and Javonte Green on the roster.

If nothing else, the Pistons need to focus on Trey Murphy, one of the best scorers in the league who is shaping up to be an excellent supporting role member on a contending team. Murphy, right now, is somewhat miscast as the go-to guy on a struggling Pelicans team, and he’ll find life a lot easier playing with a legitimate star playmaker like Cunningham.

Murphy was the Pelicans player that Simmons suggested for the Pistons to move on, and this is where Detroit needs to go in any Murphy trade talks so as not to disrupt the team as much.

And it makes sense that the Pistons would do their best to convince the Pelicans to trade Murphy. It’s Murphy making an average of just $28 million per year through the 2028-29 season — about $20 million to $25 million less than what the Pistons’ other hypothetical trade target in Laura Markkanen will realize over the same time period.

The Pistons’ best offer for Pelicans wing Trey Murphy

Clip Exchange: Jaden Ivey, Ron Holland, DET first round picks 2027 and 2029

Pelicans trade: Trey Murphy

The Pistons, at the end of the day, may prefer the Oklahoma City Thunder in making a contender. That Thunder front office was in no rush. Instead, they waited to cement themselves as a legitimate contender before diagnosing what the team was missing — paving the way for the additions of Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein last year.

Acquiring a talented player like Murphy will require the Pistons to give up some promising young talent as well. Thunder did it in the Caruso trade, giving up Josh Giddy in a straight tradeso it’s not like Detroit is going to jump the gun if they do too.

This Pistons team looks like a 2023-24 Thunder team, a team on the rise but with obvious issues that will most likely show up during the playoffs. That Thunder team was so soft on the boards, while this Pistons team plays with several non-shooters who will dare to shoot from beyond the arc with smart opposing defenses.

That’s what makes adding Murphy that much more enticing for the Pistons. Murphy has expanded his game off the bounce, but he’s an off-ball sniper at heart, someone who will thrive with Cunningham’s playmaking leading the way.

Almost 75 percent of Murphy’s baskets are without helpand in a team without a playmaker of Cunningham’s caliber. That makes him a perfect fit for the Pistons’ roster.

But the Pistons won’t want to change their roster given the good vibes they’ve been playing with all season. Maintaining harmony in the locker room is a tricky thing in the NBA, which is why messing with a team as hot as Detroit right now in the middle of the season is not really advisable.

however, giving up on Ivey is simply minimal at any Murphy store. Ivey is the Pistons’ most volatile young prospect as he becomes an increasingly redundant part of this team. Cunningham needs the ball in his hands as often as possible, which means Ivey could play a smaller role going forward — much like Giddy has become more marginalized as the Thunder have become a better team.

Now, for wage matching purposes, the Netherlands is also going Big Easy in this trade scenario. The Pistons could add someone like Caris LeVert, but since they’re losing Ivey, they might want to keep another guard who can create from the perimeter like LeVert can.

Holland is so raw as an offensive playerbut he brings tenacity and toughness on the defensive end that meshes well with the energy brought by Isaiah Stewart, Thompson and Javonte Green. But if Murphy is coming to the Motor City, there will be fewer minutes to go around on the wing anyway.

In terms of playoff viability, Holland could be good for just a few minutes given his raw offensive game. So his presence on the field may not be as lacking as his value in the locker room if this trade comes to fruition.

The Pistons are simply giving up two first-round picks in this scenario, as they are already parting ways with two valuable members of their young core.