How Pistons’ Positive Injury Update on Star Affects 76ers

There was an injury scare recently out in Detroit, as the Pistons’ former first-overall selection, Cade Cunningham, suffered a knee injury during the second quarter of the team’s 131-114 loss to the defending champion Denver Nuggets over the weekend.

After further tests, the Pistons could breathe a sigh of relief as Cunningham avoided a significant setback. It turns out Cunningham will be out for at least 7-10 days. He will be re-evaluated and potentially returning to the lineup soon after.

How Cunningham’s Status Affects the 76ers and the East

At this point, it’s apparent that with or without a healthy Cunningham, the Pistons aren’t posing a threat to the Philadelphia 76ers and the rest of the Eastern Conference.

Currently, the Pistons hold the league’s worst record, as they’ve produced just three wins throughout their first 37 games of the season. While they snapped their record-breaking losing streak recently, the Pistons have lost their following five games.

As always with struggling rebuilding teams, there are players rostered that could be of value to a contender such as the Sixers. The biggest name that stands out is the veteran forward, Bojan Bogdanovic, who has become a popular trade candidate over the last season and a half.

Moving the 34-year-old veteran for assets makes sense for Detroit, as timelines are currently not aligned. However, recent rumors and reports have made it known that the Pistons aren’t in firesale territory just yet. Therefore, the Pistons reportedly have no immediate plans to trade Bogdanovic.

Also, there have been rumblings about the Pistons’ interest in possibly exploring a trade for players such as Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors, who is viewed as a win-now prospect rather than somebody a rebuilding team would acquire.

Perhaps there’s some false hope in Detroit. While their chances of making a big run to land in the NBA’s postseason are slim to none, the Pistons aren’t waiving any white flags on the season just yet.

With Cunningham dodging a notable setback, the Pistons are seemingly going to continue trying to put something together and make it all click this season with their franchise player, who has averaged over 22 points and seven assists this season.

The month leading up to the trade deadline is always clouded with tons of smoke, but the Pistons clearly aren’t in any rush to make moves now. Therefore, if the Sixers or any other contender have eyes on one of their players, it could be some time before Detroit comes to its senses.