The Detroit Pistons may have a four-game lead on the Knick the best record in the East, but it's not clear that they're on the same level as the best teams in the West. Their SRS (strength-of-schedule adjusted point differential) is less than half that of the Thunder and also trails the Rockets (and Celtics for that matter). Their defense is elite, but their offensive efficiency is currently ninth in the league, just a few tenths of a point from falling out of the top-10 completely.
Detroit has beaten the Rockets and Lakers but haven't yet played the Thunder, Nuggets, Timberwolves or Spurs — all of whom are potential NBA Finals opponents, assuming Detroit can make it that far. All that is to say, the Pistons are in a strong position but can't just rest on their laurels. If they want to make a real run at a title this season, looking for upgrades at the NBA trade deadline is essential.
They've been linked with Michael Porter Jr. and well have plenty of other options to add the additional shooting and creation they desperately need. However, paying big to pry away a talented frontcourt shooter from the Kings could be the best-case scenario, even if it's both a longshot and a risk.
Detroit Pistons receive: Keegan Murray, Malik Monk, Devin Carter
Sacramento Kings receive: Jaden Ivey, Tobias Harris, Paul Reed, 2027 first-round pick
Why the Pistons would trade for Keegan Murray and Malik Monk
The Pistons, as currently constructed, have two big problems — frontcourt shooting and a lack of complementary shot-creation. They took a leap last season when they surrounded Cade Cunningham with more shooting in the backcourt and on the wing, helping space the floor and leaving him more room to create.
But they're still far from maxed out in that regard. Isaiah Stewart is a respectable 3-point shooter but Jalen Duren is their center of the future, and they're limited in how much they can play the two bigs together. Duncan Robinson has helped, but he's more of a 3 than a 4 and the rest of the big wing/big-man rotation is filled with absolute non-shooters (Ausar Thompson, Ron Holland) and willing shooters who aren't accurate enough to really stretch a defense (Tobias Harris, Javonte Green).
Murray is a full-time 4 and a solid defender who also happens to be an elite shooter. His 3-point percentage has declined every season, and he's making less than 30 percent this year. But he's also been playing for the most chaotic franchise in the league with a lack of reliable creation around him. Remember, he made 41.1 percent and set the record for most 3s ever as a rookie. He's young, on a reasonable contract, a perfect long-term replacement for Harris and a perfect long-term complement for Cunningham and Duren.
Monk has his issues and is under contract for two more years, but he can be an electric scorer off the bench and comfortable playing off the ball next to Cunningham, testing the defense with both his shooting and speed. He doesn't offer anything close to Ivey's hypothetical ceiling, but he does the same things more reliably right now, and if the Pistons want to compete for a title this season he's far more useful.
In addition, the Pistons would pick up Devin Carter — the No. 13 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft who has struggled to find his footing in Sacramento. He's a shaky outside shooter and may always be, but he has upside as an offensive creator and could be a terrific defender at the point of attack. Even if he doesn't pan out, getting his potential upside as a throw-in just sweetens the deal.
Detroit's offense would get a big boost this season, with two of their weaknesses directly addressed. And they'd manage it without opening up any holes in their rotation or sacrificing any of their foundational pieces. Duren, Murray, Thompson and Cunningham are a devastating two-way foursome with pieces like Stewart, Robinson, Holland, Monk and Caris Levert offering fantastic depth. They're already extending their lead in the Eastern Conference standings and a trade like this should make them a lot more confident about matching up with the best teams in the West.
Why the Kings would part with Keegan Murray
The Kings need a reset in the worst way. Admittedly, there's no reason to think this one will go better than the last dozen or so times they've tried, but sticking with the status quo isn't tenable either.
Sacramento has said they don't want to trade Murray, but what's the point in keeping him? He's a very high-level role player, the kind of versatile, complementary piece who fills out a rotation and connects the skill sets of ball-dominant stars. Essentially, he's wasted on the Kings. Right now, they don't have any foundational pieces for him to complement — just a collection of ill-fitting, overpaid stars who are themselves on the way out.
The bottom line is, Murray is extremely valuable, but to the Kings he's more valuable as a trade piece than as a player on the court. This deal doesn't return Jonathan Kuminga, who they've been heavily linked to, and they also have to formally give up on Devin Carter. But it solves a ton of problems and offers plenty of upside.
Paul Reed is filler and Harris is just an expiring contract. But it lets them shed Monk's deal and — assuming they can unload LaVine, DeRozan and Sabonis — puts them one step closer to clearing their books. They pick up a future first-round pick and if they really need to save face, could probably talk the Pistons into turning the unprotected 2027 first-round pick into 2026 and 2028 picks with some protections on them.
But the big prize is Ivey, a player they can try to build around. He's been up-and-down in his four seasons in Detroit, working through injuries and coaches who didn't always believe in his potential. But we saw what his ceiling looked like last year, when he averaged 17.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game, shooting 40.9 percent from beyond the arc in 30 games before a broken leg knocked him out for the rest of the season. (Keep in mind, he was playing under 30 minutes per game— those averages were actually 21.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists per 36 minutes.)
He's still working his way back from the injury, and his struggled this season in a reduced role. But he's an electric athletic talent who could be a star if the shooting jump he showed last year is for real. The flipside of that coin is that he clearly needs a stable organization devoted to his development, and we're talking about sending him to the Kings. But his ceiling is way higher than anyone else the Kings are going to get in a trade for DeRozan, LaVine or Sabonis; and might even be worth parting with Murray for.