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Detroit Pistons: Analyzing a “surprise” trade for CJ McCollum

By Duncan Smith

DETROIT, MI - FEBRUARY 05: Blake Griffin #23 of the Detroit Pistons drives to the basket in front of CJ McCollum #3 of the Portland Trail Blazers during the an NBA game at Little Caesars Arena on February 5, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - FEBRUARY 05: Blake Griffin #23 of the Detroit Pistons drives to the basket in front of CJ McCollum #3 of the Portland Trail Blazers during the an NBA game at Little Caesars Arena on February 5, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images) /
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Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons (Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images) /

The Detroit Pistons have the seventh pick in the 2020 NBA draft and are eager to rebound from a bad season. Could a trade for CJ McCollum do the trick?

The Detroit Pistons are coming off one of the worst seasons in franchise history. Their 20-46 record works out to a winning percentage of 30.3, which is equivalent to 24.8 win pace over the course of an 82-game season.

For their troubles, they came away with just the seventh overall pick in the NBA draft, and it’s a weak draft at that. It’s further indication that in the lottery reform era, which flattens draft odds and makes it less desirable to tank into the worst record in the league, going for the worst record is simply an unappealing and ineffective strategy.

Related Story. Pistons: 3 options with the No. 7 pick in draft. light

The Pistons needed to have this down season, a bloodletting of sorts. It emboldened them to cut ties with Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson and essentially hit the reset button. There’s one final element that keeps them from fully rebooting, however, and that’s Blake Griffin.

With two years left on his contract, it remains a tough one to move, but Griffin is an appealing trade chip if he has some of that 2018-19 juice remaining. As the Pistons would love to be able to both reset and also bounce back into playoff contention, trading him might be something they’re eager to do if the right deal comes along.

Our friends at Bleacher Report broke down 30 surprise trades for each team in the NBA, and writer Grant Hughes came up with an interesting idea for the Detroit Pistons. The deal looks like this:

The just of the deal is a swap between the Pistons and the Portland Trail Blazers of Blake Griffin and CJ McCollum, and their first-round picks.

We’ll break the trade down from both team’s perspectives and evaluate whether it works for either team, both teams, or for nobody. Let’s start with the Pistons.

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