After a successful year of meshing veterans with the young core that continues to mature, the on-going debate amongst the fanbase has been whether to make the big splash to push the team into a longer playoff run or to be patient and let the core grow as a unit. The team is at least a year ahead of schedule and the thirst for producing a Championship team immediately may be too much to pass up on. Next we will breakdown two mock trades that could speed up the timeline of the franchise.

The first trade will be involving Veteran swingman John Collins who has rejuvenated his value in 2024, after being traded two years ago from the Atlanta Hawks. Collins is an electrifying forward who is multi-faceted scorer and can guard positions two through five on the defensive end of the court. The Pistons would send back Tim Hardaway via sign and trade, former Jazz shooter Simone Fontecchio, and young bench guard Marcus Sasser. In addition, the Pistons would send a top 10 protected 2031 First Round pick to complete the deal. The one piece the Pistons might be reluctant to move is Sasser, who has shown the potential to be an efficient microwave scorer in spurts.

Pistons Recieve: John Collins

Jazz Receive: Tim Hardaway Jr.

Simone Fontecchio

Marcus Sasser

2031 (Top 10 Protected) First Round Pick

The second deal would primarily surround moving young guard Jaden Ivey, for veteran Derrick White. Langdon would essentially be punting on the hopes of  Ivey him developing alongside Cade, and press fast-forward on the team progression, with the idea of White being the better immediate option to push the team ahead presently. White is 30 years old, but is also coming off his best year to date. He provides Cade Cunnigham a good running mate in the backcourt, that fits in numerous roles offensively, whether it’s initiating the offense or playing the connector role. White is versatile defender that defends the rim as good as any guard in the league. He concluded the season with the most blocks amongst players at his position. Statistically speaking White and Ivey compare pretty evenly, which bodes well for Ivey’s ceiling being 7 years younger than White. But when you look closer analytically speaking White’s defense, ability to play off ball, and ball security makes him the superior player in the present day. Another factor that the statistics won’t show is his veteran presence and championship pedigree. White has already won one ring alongside Tatum and company in Boston. To conclude the trade, the Pistons would throw in two future first to even out the salary disparity, and in return Detroit will receive second year spot up shooter Baylor Scheierman.

Derrick White blocked 76 shots this season (1st among guards)

Here’s all of them (1/3): pic.twitter.com/oQX2xXzu2w

— Pull up shoot  (@NElGHT_) April 10, 2023

The John Collins deal is a bit safer move. The Pistons get more athletic player at the four position, who can create his own opportunities to score in a number of ways. The Pistons also are able to free up some minutes and salary, and can decide whether they would like to extend Collins longterm or let him walk without giving up much. The White deal could yield pretty high dividends in the short term but the giving up Ivey along with two future first could very well burn Detroit in the long run. There’s also a potential likelihood that Detroit elects to stay put aside from a few fringe Free Agent signings and see what the team can manage with the nucleus they’ve already produced. Stay tuned to FFSN for any new moves the Pistons make in the future.