Pistons trade targets early in 2023-24 NBA season

Will Monty Williams gamble on Al Horford or Harrison Barnes as Pistons trade targets to help the Cade Cunningham-led squad?

Monty Williams is doing a great job of building a winning culture in the Detroit Pistons system. They have gone toe-to-toe with contenders like the Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, and Philadelphia 76ers among other squads, and held their own. A lot still has to change in the Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson-led squad but it will not take long until they turn their fates around. Obviously, they are not vying for a postseason berth but there are viable options for them to grab before the trade deadline. Veteran leadership is what they need on the court. This means either Al Horford or Harrison Barnes could be a Pistons trade target.

Al Horford’s fit with the Pistons

Young squads in the league need a little bit of guidance before they experience postseason success. They may be able to carry themselves well in the 82-game stretch but a different beast awaits them whenever summer hits. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder needed Chris Paul in their search for playoff experience. The Memphis Grizzlies continue to find a veteran to try to get them over the early-round postseason hump. The bottom line is they need a leader who could lead the young Pistons squad on the court because Monty Williams just cannot keep shouting at them mid-play.

Al Horford is still one of the better defenders in the league. His production and evolution to the current game make him a perfect mentor for the Pistons bigs. He took a smaller role in the Boston Celtics system. This meant a huge drop to 4.9 points on average but huge numbers like six rebounds per game despite coming off the bench. He excels on drop coverage which the Pistons’ young guns can learn from. They struggled to defend individuals like Julius Randle, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokic in their recent matchups. His addition could mean a high defensive ceiling for this Cade Cunningham-led squad.

Overall, they will get huge intangibles and a decent amount of production from this Pistons trade target. The Celtics may also be looking for a young big man that could back up Kristaps Porzingis. Letting go of some players could clear up their frontcourt rotation.

Harrison Barnes can help Monty Williams to victory

The Sacramento Kings got a lot of success off Harrison Barnes’ veteran pedigree. They took a huge leap last year and broke the playoff drought. However, he has not been the most productive given how much the squad makes the ball rotate. It also looks like De’Aaron Fox and his relatively young squad have developed their own identity. Picking Barnes up as a Pistons trade target would do wonders for the team.

He brings an elite level of veteran leadership that not a lot of players could claim in the league. More than that, he has experienced a championship during the start of the Golden State Warriors dynasty. If there is anyone who knows how to kick-start a great future, it would be him. Barnes can also still put up huge numbers to bring them an early postseason berth. He currently averages a solid 11.2 points per game and a little over three rebounds through nine regular season games.

The Pistons are rebuilding but these picks will springboard their success by a large margin. Will they pull off any of these moves ahead of the trade deadline?