Detroit Radio Host Pushes Back on Kevin Durant Trade Idea for Pistons

One Detroit radio host suggests the Detroit Pistons should avoid a Kevin Durant trade.

Mar 24, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) against the Milwaukee Bucks at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Soon, the NBA expects a Kevin Durant trade to take place. The mutual desire for Durant and the Phoenix Suns to part ways is one of the league’s worst-kept secrets.

As the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade gates remain closed in Milwaukee, Durant is the most notable player on the NBA trade block for the time being.

After the Detroit Pistons had a shockingly solid season, which included their first playoff appearance since 2019, there’s a thought that pairing a superstar alongside Cade Cunningham could help them go from first-round visitors to championship contenders.

Recently, Stephen A. Smith tossed out the Pistons as one of five teams he would like to see explore the Durant market. The Ringer NBA analyst Zach Lowe recently thought about it as well.

Kicking around the idea of a framework that includes Tobias Harris, Jaden Ivey, Isaiah Stewart, and multiple first-round picks, Lowe wondered if that could be a bold move that’s worth the Pistons’ time.

If you ask 97.1 The Ticket host Jim Costa, he believes the Pistons would have to push back hard on that type of offer if it came from Phoenix.

“I’m shedding young pieces I could use in a real trade, slash young pieces I could use to grow organically, to take a one-year shot with Kevin Durant where I’m probably not winning the title?" Costa said on Tuesday.

“You probably have to extend him on the max as he ages into his 40s and Cade Cunningham doesn't have a long-term running mate. I’m a no. And this may be a surprise because I'm the guy who says, 'Go get Bregman, go get Hendrickson, go get Mitch Marner, go get the big piece.' This isn’t the big piece, and it doesn’t fit the timeline. It doesn’t make any sense for the Pistons to give up firsts and young players, plural, to bring Kevin Durant to Detroit."

The anti-Durant club should feel good about Trajan Langdon’s mindset in Detroit. So far, the Pistons are operating as if they are a team that is willing to play it patient and see the young core with a mix of role-playing veterans through.

Acquiring Durant gives Cade Cunningham a surefire superstar to play with for the first time in his career, but it doesn’t guarantee a championship. Durant has made plenty of moves to pair up alongside players in the star tier during his runs in Brooklyn and Phoenix. Still, the veteran forward hasn’t won an NBA Championship since the 2018 NBA Playoffs with the Golden State Warriors.

Is that type of gamble worth giving up one of the best rim-protectors on a valuable contract and a potential backcourt star for years to come, along with multiple draft assets? The Pistons would probably be hesitant to shake on a deal like that if Phoenix put it on the table.

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