Most of the teams in the NBA are going to call up the Cleveland Cavaliers and at least inquire about the availability of Kyrie Irving. Call it due diligence. Not all will be serious suitors, but they will at least call.
Detroit might be more serious than most. They have a strong inside game with Andre Drummond (who they have listened to trade offers for), but Reggie Jackson has not worked out at the point so far as Stan Van Gundy envisioned, and Irving would vault them up into the ranks of more interesting teams in the East. There is interest, reports Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.A person with knowledge of the Pistons’ front office told the Free Press recently that the organization is interested in the four-time NBA All-Star, who nailed the winning shot to clinch the 2016 NBA title for the Cavs...
And team president and coach Stan Van Gundy isn’t even trying to hide Pistons interest, telling the team website earlier this week “the Pistons have had some level of conversation with the Cavs.”
Van Gundy may be serious about trying, but either way, this leak looks good to the fan base, “see, we’re trying.”
The problem for Detroit — like with every team trying to get involved with Cleveland on an Irving deal — is finding a way to make it work.
Cleveland’s top priority in a deal is getting back a young, elite, blue-chip player on a rookie contract. Stanley Johnson is nice, but he does not qualify. The Cavaliers also want veterans who can help them win now, and maybe the only Piston who qualifies there is Andre Drummond (who makes more than Irving right now). There is no deal between the two teams directly that makes sense.
Which means bringing in a third team, and that tends to be where things fall apart. Ellis in the Free Press talks about a three-way deal with the Clippers that came up on ESPN where:
The Clippers received: Andre Drummond, Stanley Johnson and a future Pistons first-round pick.
The Cavaliers received: DeAndre Jordan and Reggie Jackson.
The Cavaliers do not get the young player they want — call it LeBron James leaves insurance — in this trade. I’m not sure they do it. The Clippers might be willing to swap out centers who can’t hit free throws because they could lose DeAndre Jordan next summer where Drummond is locked up. But the Pistons would surrender Drummond, Johnson, Jackson and a future first-round pick to get Irving and Thompson, is that a good deal for them? I’m not sold.
Bottom line, the Pistons may be interested, but it’s hard to see how they pull off a deal. Something to watch, but don’t expect anything coming soon.
