NBA Trade Idea Sends Kawhi Leonard to Rebuilding East Team

Despite having the cap space to spend on a top-tier free agent, the Detroit Pistons stuck with their rebuilding timeline this summer. While they made some moves to acquire valuable veterans such as Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Malik Beasley, the Pistons didn’t break the bank or do anything to cut the cord with their young core players.

Following a 14-68 season, the Pistons are nearly halfway to last year’s win total just 14 games into the 2024-2025 NBA season. After a win against the Toronto Raptors on Friday night, the Pistons place seventh in the Eastern Conference with a 6-8 record.

Since it’s still early, nobody will get ahead of themselves—but what if the Pistons truly believe a playoff appearance is in their sight with one move to acquire a big piece?

Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey recently put together five “wild” NBA trade ideas, constructing one that sends Los Angeles Clippers All-Star Kawhi Leonard to the Motor City.

Kawhi Leonard facing the Pistons. — Feb 10, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) scores past Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

What’s the Deal?

In this hypothetical trade scenario, the Pistons would move on from Tobias Harris, Isaiah Stewart, Ron Holland, and swap 2030 first-round picks.

In exchange, Detroit would land the superstar forward Kawhi Leonard.

“Tobias Harris and Tim Hardaway Jr. have helped a bit, but it's clear that Detroit is still far from a lock for the playoffs. An even moderately healthy Kawhi Leonard would bring them closer to that status. Of course, there's no guarantee he gets back to moderately healthy (at least relative to other NBA players). And his contract (which pays him $50.3 million in 2026-27) is potentially onerous. But plugging his superstar upside into lineups with Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren would make Detroit a tough out for most Eastern Conference opponents.”

That’s a “wild” one, indeed.

At some point, the Pistons might find themselves in a situation where they’ll have to cut ties with a homegrown prospect or two in order to acquire a Leonard-type star. While Detroit has invested in the potential of Cunningham, he doesn’t possess any postseason experience. A seasoned star could help ease the growing pains in the playoffs if and when the Pistons finally get there.

It’s necessary to note that the new President of Basketball Operations, Trajan Langdon, made it very clear that Detroit isn’t currently in a playoffs-or-bust mode. There’s no need for the Pistons to make a Hail Mary move to acquire a 33-year-old forward with an extensive injury history.

The Clippers have yet to see Leonard in action this season. Their last impression of Kawhi was a 68-game run, where he averaged 24 points and six rebounds on 53 percent shooting during the regular season, followed by a two-game stretch in the NBA Playoffs.

Over the last two playoff runs for the Clippers, Kawhi has missed more games than he played due to injury.

If Detroit continues to prove they can compete with the best of them on any given night, by no means should they shy away from looking for a veteran upgrade to help accelerate their timeline.

However, acquiring the forward would mean keeping him on board to make $50 million each season until 2027. Leonard’s injury history would be too much of a gamble for the Pistons.

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