With president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon potentially looking to catch a big fish in the offseason, one NBA insider thinks the Detroit Pistons would be the best landing spot for a two-time Finals MVP.
Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report recently ranked the the best landing spots for Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, who is entering the final year of a three-year, $150 million deal. Bailey’s No. 3 and No. 2 destinations for Leonard are the Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat, respectively, with Bailey listing the Pistons as Leonard’s No. 1 destination.
“In Detroit, Leonard would be joining one of the best up-and-coming playmakers in the NBA in soon-to-be-25-year-old Cade Cunningham. He’d have plenty of close-to-stress-free looks generated for him by Cade. And in turn, he’d almost certainly lighten the sometimes massive offensive load on Cunningham’s shoulders,” Bailey writes.
Leonard, 34, just finished his 14th NBA season and sixth with the Clippers, scoring a career-high 27.9 points per game over 65 games. The two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year was named All-NBA for the seventh time as he put up his most productive season in years.
The Pistons, meanwhile, just finished their most successful season of the past couple of decades, ending up with the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference after a 60-win regular season. Detroit bowed out in the playoffs against the 4-seed Cleveland Cavaliers, however, with the team needing a secondary scorer to support Cunningham.
Leonard would theoretically fit into that role, but he wouldn’t come cheap.
Kawhi Leonard proposed trade package
Per Bailey, the Pistons would have to send four rotation players and a first-round pick to the Clippers to get Leonard.
Pistons get: Leonard.
Clippers get: G/F Duncan Robinson, C Isaiah Stewart, G Caris LeVert, F Ron Holland and a 2031 first-round pick.
This trade package allows the Pistons to keep their core of Cunningham, center Jalen Duren and forward Ausar Thompson while adding a proven scorer and defensive stalwart to the roster. According to Bailey, Leonard might prefer being in Detroit rather than Miami or Golden State since he wouldn’t be relied on to be the team’s primary playmaker.
And for the Clippers, it would allow them to reset around a younger core after trading away older stars in Leonard and guard James Harden.
“For L.A., this deal gives them one intriguing prospect in Holland (who turns 21 this summer), three veterans who can help [point guard Darius] Garland keep the team competitive now and a potentially valuable pick that won’t convey until Leonard is likely out of the league.”
Whether the Pistons would be interested in sending away so many players for an oft-injured veteran isn’t a guarantee, but as our Pistons insider Omari Sankofa II has pointed out, Leonard may already be on the team’s radar, especially after the team’s recent playoff disappointment.
“They likely will be connected to big names around the league, such as Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen − though Utah just traded for Jaren Jackson Jr. to pair with Markkanen − and Los Angeles Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard, who will be entering the final year of his deal and will make $50.3 million in 2026-27 at age 35,” he wrote.
“The Pistons have all of their first-round picks, including the 21st overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and a trove of second-round picks down the road to include in deals.”
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Kawhi Leonard to Pistons? What a trade package could look like
Reporting by Christian Romo, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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