2018 Hall of Fame: 4 inductees with ties to the Detroit Pistons
By Amaar Burton
Ray Allen
Pro basketball’s history is full of so many tantalizing “what-if” scenarios, someone could create a podcast series devoted solely to that topic.
What if the Milwaukee Bucks had been allowed to keep the draft rights to Julius Erving and teamed him up with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson like they had planned? What if the the Portland Trail Blazers had drafted Kevin Durant instead of Greg Oden? What if David Robinson hadn’t gotten injured in 1996-97 and the San Antonio Spurs were too good to win the Tim Duncan lottery?
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For the Pistons, here’s a recent one: What if the Pistons had traded for Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo in 2010?
The Celtics were coming off an NBA Finals loss to the Los Angeles Lakers that year, and apparently kicking around the idea of breaking up their “Big Four” of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Allen and Rondo. Two years removed from winning a championship, it appeared age and injuries were setting in — and as we’d find out years later, some internal feuds may have been eating away at the team’s chemistry.
The Celtics reportedly offered Allen and Rondo to the Pistons in exchange for Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Rodney Stuckey. Detroit rejected the offer, and rejected it quickly.
Perhaps Allen’s age — he was turning 35 years old that summer — factored into the decision. Detroit was in a rebuilding phase at the time, coming off a 27-win season, and Stuckey was viewed as a building block for the future.
Allen went on to play four more years in the league, averaging 12.7 points per game and hitting 42.2 percent of his 3-pointers. He helped the Miami Heat win another championship in 2013 and retired as the NBA’s all-time leader in 3-pointers.