The Detroit Pistons were able to net their first playoff victory since 2008 after defeating the New York Knicks in Game 2 of their opening round series by a score of 100-94 on Monday night.
Cade Cunningham’s 33 points and 13 rebounds helped lead the Pistons to the eventual win, and Dennis Schröder’s huge three-point hit to give his team a 97-94 lead with 55.1 seconds remaining proved to be the nail in coffin to help Detroit even the series at 1-1.
The Pistons’ inspiring performance has provided the group with a new sense of hope, and their general manager Trajan Langdon could figure that their winning ways could lead to a prosperous offseason.
In fact, Langdon and his staff may look to further boost the personnel of the surging Eastern Conference squad by contacting an in-conference team that could look to blow things up in the near future.
Though it may be an ambitious goal, it’s possible that the organization pounces on the opportunity to offer a tempting package to the Milwaukee Bucks in an effort to land their 2-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, as recent reports have indicated that the 9-time All-Star might want to move on from the franchise this summer.
“Antetokounmpo is heavy-lifting like a World's Strongest Man competitor as per usual, but he lacks the support for his herculean efforts to actually matter,” Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley wrote Thursday.
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“Is this really how Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP and a Finals MVP, really wants to play out his prime? This is a lottery-level roster without him and a non-contender with him. He can't be content with this setup, can he?”
“From the outside looking in, though, the grass sure seems greener elsewhere.”
In a hypothetical deal that could see the legendary forward jump ship for the Pistons, Detroit could offer Milwaukee a package headlined by Jaden Ivey, Ron Holland, and Marcus Sasser along with the $26.6 million salary of Tobias Harris and a heap of first-round draft capital.
At just 30 years old, Antetokounmpo could look to add onto his Hall-of-Fame resume by skipping town and joining the Pistons to compete for titles with the first-time All-Star Cunningham and a stellar supporting cast.
In his 12th NBA campaign, the all-time great power forward put together one of his best statistical seasons yet, contributing 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.2 blocks for a 48-34 Bucks team.
Antetokounmpo and the Bucks have not come away with a playoff victory of their own since 2022, and another potential first-round exit against the Indiana Pacers this season could spell disaster.
If united with Cunningham as a deadly 1-2 punch on the offensive end, the Pistons’ scoring potential may know no limits.
Things could somehow get even scarier on the defensive side of the ball, as the 2020 Defensive Player of the Year’s potential pairing with Detroit’s sensational 21-year-old center Jalen Duren in the frontcourt could induce nightmares for the league’s most talented rim-running stars.
With the Pistons's shocking rise and Antetokounmpo's future becoming more uncertain by the day, Langdon could view this summer as the best time to pull the trigger on a mega-deal to bring in the dominant NBA champion while dumping several valued prospects.
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