Detroit Pistons Could Trade For $179 Million Star to Help Cade Cunningham

The Detroit Pistons are a team to look out for as a buyer on the trade market with just two weeks to go before the deadline.

The Pistons are in first place in the Eastern Conference, but they have the chance to flex their muscles and extend the gap between them and the other teams in the conference. That's why CBS Sports contributor Sam Quinn suggested Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. as a potential trade target for the team.

"The Detroit Pistons outscore opponents by 14.2 points per game in the paint, but get outscored by around five points per game from behind the arc. Only the Pelicans, Kings and Rockets have a lower 3-point attempt rate, and the Pistons still convert less than a league-average percentage of those attempts into points," Quinn wrote.

"We're not asking Porter to just sit in the corner and make 3s, either. Detroit's offense declines by around 10 points per 100 possessions whenever Cade Cunningham sits. The Pistons could use a second, high-level creator to survive those minutes. Porter could bring some of the things that have worked in a higher-usage role when Cunningham sits, but function as more of a supporting piece like he did in Denver when Cunningham plays."

Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. walks back up the court at the end of the game against the Dallas Mavericks. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Michael Porter Jr. Could Be Pistons Trade Target

If the Pistons were to make a trade for Porter, they would likely have to part ways with Tobias Harris, who is an expiring contract and would fill Porter's spot in the starting lineup.

"Detroit's biggest expiring contract conveniently belongs to Tobias Harris, their incumbent power forward who is essentially just a worse version of Porter (though, in fairness, is reportedly critical in that locker room). The Pistons control their own first-round picks and have young talent available to trade, so constructing a deal should be reasonably simple," Quinn wrote.

"Porter could lift the Pistons to unquestioned favorite status in the Eastern Conference, and the Pistons could pay him handsomely to be a part of their core moving forward."

The Pistons really value Tobias Harris, so a trade could be difficult, but if Detroit wants to maximize their championship potential and window, this is a no-brainer trade to make.

In the meantime, the Pistons are back in action tomorrow when they take on the Houston Rockets. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET inside Little Caesars Arena. Fans can watch the game on FanDuel Sports Network or stream it on Amazon Prime Video.