The Detroit Pistons have dug themselves a 3-1 hole in their opening-round 2025 NBA Playoff series against the New York Knicks, falling to New York in Game 4 of their series by a score of 94-93 on Sunday after a controversial no-call on a Tim Hardaway Jr. go-ahead three-point attempt in the final seconds of the contest.
Though the Pistons' season may come to an unfortunate ending after a shocking close to Game 4, the franchise could certainly view the 2024-25 season as a massive success. Detroit notched its first playoff victory since 2008 in their 100-94 Game 2 win in Madison Square Garden on Apr. 21 after claiming the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 44-38 regular season record.
Now that Detroit has gained some momentum as one of the fastest-rising collections of young talent in the entire Association, recent reports have indicated that their general manager Trajan Langdon could make some sweeping changes to support his superstar point guard Cade Cunningham while building a future juggernaut in the East.
If Langdon wishes to deal away some of that young talent in an effort to land a superstar to pair with Cunningham, it's possible that the Pistons could contact the Memphis Grizzlies this summer with the thought of acquiring their explosive 2-time All-Star Ja Morant in a franchise-altering trade, while sending Jaden Ivey, Tobias Harris and three first-round draft picks back to Memphis.
"Changes are coming in Memphis, and the Grizzlies might be growing tired of Morant being the team's leader," ClutchPoints' Bailey Bassett wrote Tuesday afternoon.
"The Detroit Pistons are a sneaky team that could make a move for Morant if the point guard ends up on the trading block."
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"The Pistons' future is bright, and they've competed well against the New York Knicks in their first-round matchup."
"If they end up getting eliminated in the first round, they shouldn't stop adding to the roster. Morant is a player who could take them to the next level of true championship contention."
At just 25 years old, Morant has already established himself as one of the best point guards in the entire NBA due to his incredible mix of scoring and play-making combined with status as one of the most electrifying in-game dunkers that the game has ever seen.
In 50 appearances with the Grizzlies this season, the 2020 Rookie of the Year and 2022 Most Improved Player award winner averaged 23.2 points, 7.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 45.4% from the field, leading Memphis to a 48-34 regular season record and the Western Conference's No. 8 seed.
After being swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round, Morant's future with the franchise has been called into question. If paired with Cunningham to form a deadly backcourt on the Pistons, the team could plausibly run the East for the next decade.
While the idea of Morant landing with the Pistons is a wildly entertaining one to consider, Langdon and the Pistons would more likely aim to provide the first-time All-Star Cunningham with a wing or frontcourt presence to round out the group's starting rotation for the immediate future.