The Detroit Pistons have arguably been the biggest surprise in the NBA this season.
After finishing the last two seasons with the worst record in the NBA, Detroit was expected to once again be a bottom feeder in the standings this season. Instead, they currently hold a 21-19 record that has them sitting eighth in the Eastern Conference standings.
Detroit has been led by their rising star Cade Cunningham, who is putting together the best season of his career. The Pistons have also seen improvement from their other young talent and their veteran additions of Tim Hardaway Jr., Malik Beasley and Tobias Harris have also been productive.
With the Pistons now looking like a playoff team, they are expected to be buyers ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. One area they could improve is their shooting guard position due to the season ending injury suffered by Jaden Ivey. They could replace Ivey with another young star in Anfernee Simons from the Portland Trail Blazers.
In a possible trade, Detroit could send Hardaway Jr., Wendell Moore Jr. and draft capital to Portland for Simons. With the Blazers prioritizing a backcourt of Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, Simons may be the odd man out, and in this deal, they would add more talent and draft capital to continue their rebuild.
For the Pistons, acquiring Simons would give them a much-needed second option on offense. This season, Simons is averaging 18.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 42.7% from the field and 36.4% from three.
The 25-year-old has seen a dip in production this season, but he has also seen a decline in minutes. If he was to wind up in Detroit, his minutes should increase as he would play a key role in their starting lineup in the backcourt next to Cunningham.
By making this trade, the Pistons would not only become a better team this season where they could possibly make a playoff run, but they would also create one of the best young backcourts in the NBA as they try to end their rebuild.
