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With the regular season over, the rumor mill has kicked off right away in the NBA. While the legitimacy of those rumors is debatable at times, it doesn’t make them any more fun or interesting to consider.
Twitter jumped into a frenzy last week with a report from David Aldridge on Lonzo Ball. While that report had holes that could, and were, poked in it, it didn’t stop people from reacting accordingly.
FoxSports’ Jason McIntyre mentioned Detroit as a potential landing spot if Ball was going to be traded this off-season. With the Pistons having no point guard of the future, Ball would make plenty of sense as a cornerstone moving forward.
Detroit, though, also finds itself primed for a top-five pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. As it stands, the Pistons have the fifth-best odds at the No. 1 pick ahead of Thursday’s draft lottery. Theoretically, that puts Detroit squarely in range to nab LaMelo Ball in the upcoming draft.
It’s not mutually exclusive that the Pistons would only grab one of the Ball brothers. LaVar Ball’s desire to have his sons on the same team has been well-publicized, though Detroit is not a location that is often brought up.
The biggest hurdle for the Pistons would be trading for Ball and not parting with their 2020 draft pick. Detroit has no first round picks incoming or outgoing, which would allow them to trade future firsts, if that appeals to the Pelicans. Trading for more picks would allow for more cap flexibility for New Orleans as they will likely have to sign Brandon Ingram to a max contract this off-season.
Landing both the Ball brothers would give the Pistons as much national recognition as they’ve had since their last title-winning team in the mid-2000s. And while that isn’t the largest reason to make the move, having a talented and popular pair of brothers could be a turning point for the Pistons as a franchise.