The Detroit Pistons are on a roll, winning seven of their last eight games as of this writing, but they lost Jaden Ivey with an injury during that run. As the team continues to build around Cade Cunningham, this Michigan-based squad is said to be in the mix of landing CJ McCollum via trade.
With the very disappointing outing of the New Orleans Pelicans this 2024-25 season, the team is loudly in trade conversations, which puts mostly everyone on their roster, including Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, in the fire sale.
In the NBA Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons are having a strong bounce back from their dismal 14-68 record to a .500 record of 18-18 this season. If they push the right buttons, this team is poised to make a good push to become a playoff team and out of the play-in tournament.
Jaden Ivey is an instrumental piece for the Detroit Pistons to make a big playoff run, but he is questionable to return this season, leaving the shooting guard position up for grabs between Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr.
While both guards have respectable careers, an upgrade at the shooting guard position may be a welcome thought for Pistons PBO Trajan Langdon.
Using Langdon’s past connections with the Pelicans, it is likely that the Pistons may be a trade partner.
“According to NBA analyst Jake Weinbach, the Pistons may look to make a trade for CJ McCollum before the NBA All-Star Weekend,” posts Weinbach on X.
“The Pistons could be a potential suitor for C.J. McCollum. Detroit would value McCollum’s scoring prowess and veteran leadership. If there’s genuine interest, the Pistons can build an offer around Tim Hardaway Jr.’s $16.1M expiring contract and second-round draft compensation.”
The Pistons could be a potential suitor for C.J. McCollum.
Detroit would value McCollum’s scoring prowess and veteran leadership. If there’s genuine interest, the Pistons can build an offer around Tim Hardaway Jr.’s $16.1M expiring contract and second-round draft compensation.
— Jake Weinbach (@JWeinbachNBA) January 7, 2025
Why would the Detroit Pistons and New Orleans Pelicans explore trading CJ McCollum for Tim Hardaway Jr.?
On a quick view, the talent discrepancy between CJ McCollum and Tim Hardaway Jr. is quite broad. However, this makes sense for both teams for strategic purposes and contract statuses.
For the Detroit Pistons, while waiting for Jaden Ivey to recover from an injury, having CJ McCollum beside the rising growth of Cade Cunningham would be ideal. With two years left on his contract, next season would be enjoyable, as a 34-year-old McCollum will also be mentoring Jaden Ivey.
McCollum would be another strong veteran presence for other young Pistons like Isaiah Stewart, Jalen Duren, Marcus Sasser, Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland II.
Meanwhile, the Pelicans would be interested in making a trade for Tim Hardaway Jr. because of his expiring contract and would be beneficiaries of landing a prime free agent in the off-season.
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