If the Detroit Pistons want to maximize their chances of making the NBA Finals this season, stealing Lu Dort away from the Oklahoma City Thunder could give them a perfect backcourt partner for Cade Cunningham. And there’s a potential three-team deal with the Dallas Mavericks that could make everyone happy.

Cunningham is an MVP-level talent, and the Pistons are poised to make a real run at the NBA Finals. Bringing in a guy like Dort would be absolutely perfect. Though managing him pry him away from the Thunder would obviously prove difficult, there is a world where all three teams could walk away from a deal happy.

And this deal may live in that world.

Pistons should consider a Lu Dort trade

Here’s the full trade idea that would see the Pistons get Dort:

Pistons receive: Lu Dort

Thunder receive: Daniel Gafford, Second-round pick (via DET)

Mavericks receive: Jaden Ivey

Trading away Jaden Ivey would be a relatively bold move for the Pistons. Detroit selected him with the No. 5 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, and he’s still only 23 years old.

However, injuries have held him back in the early stages of his career, and when he has been on the court this season, he hasn’t been playing at the level the Pistons likely want from him.

As a result, if the Pistons want to capitalize on their chance to win right now in a weak Eastern Conference, trading him away to get a guy like Dort makes a ton of sense.

Plus, it would avoid some interesting summertime negotiations, as Ivey is headed into restricted free agency this offseason. Those negotiations would become the Mavericks’ problem.

OKC could be interested in this type of deal because it will eventually have to worry about the second apron. Trading Dort for Gafford would give them an extra big on the roster, allowing them to feel better about declining Isaiah Hartenstein’s team option this summer, avoiding the second apron for another season.

They would probably rather make a trade like this over the summer, but still, the idea makes some sense for them.

Lastly, the Mavs could be interested in this type of trade because, as they look to build around Cooper Flagg, taking a swing on a young player like Ivey makes perfect sense.

It may seem premature for the Pistons to give up on Ivey already, but if they want to go for it right now, adding a guy like Dort would be huge.