3 Trade Ideas To Boost the NBA's Most Surprising Contender
Two seasons ago, the Detroit Pistons were among the worst teams in the NBA. The turnaround over the past couple of years has been astonishing, led by the dominance of guard Cade Cunningham. Detroit (28-9) may have the best record in the Eastern Conference, but should the team push in some of its chips before the February 5 trade deadline to improve its case as a genuine powerhouse?
The conservative answer would be to hold, but with the East wide open and the Pistons armed with draft capital and movable contracts, now may be the franchise's best chance to upgrade.
The following are three distinct trade ideas to boost one of the NBA's most surprising contenders.
Target: Trey Murphy III
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The Detroit Pistons receive: Trey Murphy III, Jose Alvarado, Kevon Looney, $1.6 million trade exception (Tobias Harris), $1.4 million trade exception (Chaz Lanier)
The New Orleans Pelicans receive: Tobias Harris, Jaden Ivey, Chaz Lanier, 2026 first-round pick, 2028 first-round pick, 2029 protected first-round pick swap, $8 million trade exception (Kevon Looney), $4.5 million trade exception (Jose Alvarado)
At 25, Murphy is one of the NBA's underrated scoring forwards. He's averaging 21.3 points a game on 38.2 percent shooting from three-point range (7.7 attempts). Murphy is on a relatively economical contract, earning $112 million through 2029-30 (player option), including $25 million for the current season.
If Murphy is that valuable, then why would the Pelicans trade him? The buzz in NBA circles is that franchise leadership is ready to start over and build around younger players like Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears. New Orleans isn't in a rush and can wait until the summer to blow things up. The Pelicans get a look at Ivey, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, Lanier (No. 37 in 2025), and three firsts from the Pistons (including the swap).
Detroit upgrades from Harris, who is 33 and in the final year of his contract, to a talented floor-spacing wing, earning a significantly lower salary than Lauri Markkanen (of the Utah Jazz), who would be a good fit but is older (28) and more expensive ($46.4 million this season). Looney adds experienced frontcourt insurance, and Alvarado is a feisty reserve guard.
The Pistons can avoid the luxury tax in 2026-27 ($102.7 million) with Murphy's $27 million salary, even paying restricted free agent center Jalen Duren a near-max deal (depending on various roster decisions), or spend up to the second apron ($223 million) to continue investing in what could be an NBA Finals-level squad.
Notes: The 2029 pick swap has top-4 protection for Detroit; otherwise, it conveys as a 2029 second-rounder (the highest between the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, and Pistons). Detroit can choose to use the preexisting Dennis Schröder trade exception ($14.1 million, expiring on July 7) to take in Alvarado and Looney, which would generate a new $10.1 million trade exception for Jaden Ivey (expiring a year from the trade, presumably 2/5/27).
New Orleans acquires Harris via the Murphy expanded traded player exception, Ivey from the preexisting Brandon Ingram trade exception, and Lanier via their Daniel Theis trade exception.
Target: Michael Porter Jr.
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The Detroit Pistons receive: Michael Porter Jr., Jalen Wilson
The Brooklyn Nets receive: Tobias Harris, Jaden Ivey, 2027 first-round pick
While Murphy is younger and on a less-expensive contract than Porter, he's bound to be more costly to acquire from the Pelicans. The Nets are rebuilding, letting Porter dominate the offense like Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Dennis Schröder, and others granted free offensive reign on a rebuilding team.
Porter, 27, is averaging a career-high 26.1 points a game, shooting 41.1 percent from three (on 9.4 attempts). If he's putting up empty stats in Brooklyn, Porter has shown he can be a valuable starter on a championship team with the Denver Nuggets.
Equally, Porter has dealt with significant injuries that have derailed two seasons (2018-19 and 2021-22), and carries a pricier contract than Murphy at $38.3 million (plus $40.8 million next season). Taking on Porter also requires a Detroit commitment to luxury taxes next season, which the franchise has historically avoided.
The Nets won't give Porter away, perhaps trying to pull another first (even as a swap) from the Pistons. The suggested trade gives Brooklyn a chance to see if Ivey is a fit, plus the unprotected selection in 2027.
Notes: The Pistons use the expanded traded player exception for Harris and Ivey to acquire both Porter and Wilson.
Target: Bennedict Mathurin
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The Detroit Pistons receive: Bennedict Mathurin (from the Indiana Pacers), $919,590 trade exception (Jaden Ivey)
The Indiana Pacers receive: Daniel Gafford (from the Dallas Mavericks)
The Dallas Mavericks receive: Jaden Ivey, 2026 first-round pick (both from the Detroit Pistons), $4.3 million trade exception (Daniel Gafford)
Shifting away from the forward position, with Harris sticking around, the Pistons make this move if they view Mathurin as a significant upgrade over Ivey. Mathurin, 23, is averaging a career-high 17.8 points a game on a bad Pacers team forging on without star point guard Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles).
Don't write off Mathurin as simply taking advantage of the team's low expectations this year. In his first playoff run in 2024-25, Mathurin blew up on the largest stage in two NBA Finals games, scoring 27 and 24 points for the Pacers. The Pistons get a bigger, more reliable scoring wing to relieve some of the defensive pressure on Cunningham.
Ivey, also 23, has struggled to stay healthy the last couple of seasons. As the team's No. 5 pick in 2022, Ivey has yet to live up to his draft position; Mathurin, No. 6 behind Ivey, has done more in his still-young career.
The Pacers are known to be seeking a starting-capable center, filling that hole with Gafford from the Mavericks. The Mavericks get out of his multi-year deal, getting a look to see if Ivey can blossom with a fresh opportunity in Dallas, along with a late first-round pick in the upcoming NBA draft.
Notes: The Pistons can choose to use the preexisting Dennis Schröder trade exception ($14.1 million, expiring on July 7) to take in Mathurin, which would generate a new $10.1 million trade exception for Jaden Ivey (expiring a year from the trade, presumably 2/5/27). Indiana uses the Mathurin expanded traded player exception to acquire Gafford.
Bonus concept: Fold the Murphy/Mathurin deals into a four-team swap. Take Looney out of the deal, relocate Ivey, Alvarado, etc., and tweak the first-round picks a bit. Detroit would be cashing out significant draft capital, pushing its chips in for a chance to compete with the likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder in an NBA Finals matchup. With Duren and Mathurin getting new contracts next season, Detroit can field a roster under the second apron, barely.
Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on X @EricPincus and Bluesky.
