Pistons urged to steal Lakers’ $53 million breakout star, NBA Cup champion originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Despite losing sharpshooting wing Malik Beasley in the offseason, the Detroit Pistons have successfully built on the successful 2024-25 campaign.
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The Pistons, led by star point guard Cade Cunningham, boast a 40-13 record, which is best in the Eastern Conference through 53 games. If Detroit doesn’t perform well under the bright lights, though, they’ll likely look to make significant adjustments to the roster in the offseason.
Piston Powered’s Aaron Kellerstrass believes that one of the adjustments could be stealing the Los Angeles Lakers’ 6-foot-5 breakout star and NBA Cup champion.
“(Austin) Reaves has averaged 25 points and six assists this season on strong shooting splits, so he’d be a nice fit,” Kellerstrass wrote Thursday.
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“Getting him is a different story, though, as Reaves will be seeking a max deal that pays upwards of $35-40 million per season. The Pistons aren’t likely to have that kind of cap space to use, and even if they did, they would have to think twice about it with Ausar Thompson due for a raise in the offseason after this one.”
“It would take some roster moves for the Pistons to pull it off, so it’s a long shot, but one that can’t be ruled out, especially if Trajan Langdon decides another scorer is the final piece to winning a title.”
Things could get interesting if Reaves declines his $14 million player option in free agency. The Pistons are definitely a franchise that could appeal to the Oklahoma product.
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Like the Lakers, the Pistons have an established point guard who has proven he deserves high praise (Cunningham is averaging 25.3 points, 9.6 assists, and 5.6 rebounds per game this season).
The Pistons also have a solid foundation and are trending upward after finishing with an abysmal 14-68 record in 2023-24. Adding Reaves, a dynamic ball-handler and shot creator, would almost certainly put Detroit over the top and give them every reason to be excited about the foreseeable future.
At the end of the day, it’ll all depend on which direction Reaves goes in with his player option.
More NBA: Lakers urged to finally cut ties with $101 million four-time NBA champion, 22-time All-Star