Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons and Markkanen look like a match made in heaven. With the former All-Star stretching the floor, Cade Cunningham will have plenty of space to operate. But the challenge for the Pistons is making a trade without including Ausar Thompson. They can easily make salaries work, but if the Jazz ask for Thompson, that will be a hard pill to swallow. The third-year forward has the potential to be a great player if he can improve his shooting. The Pistons have other young players like Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, but their value is not as high as Thompson’s.
After making the playoffs as the sixth seed last season, the Pistons should look to climb up. And Markkanen makes that possible. But are they ready to push their chips?