The 2024-25 NBA season's trade deadline is now just a little over two weeks away. At this point in the year, the contenders have started to separate themselves from the pack. So too have the true tanking teams in the league.
The New Orleans Pelicans might have stumbled into this lost season, but they've remained committed to losing as many games as possible ever since the injuries damned their campaign. They've walked backward into a few wins this month, but they're still on track to compete for a top-four draft pick this summer, although they've lost valuable ground to other bottom-dwellers like the Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets.
If Executive Vice President David Griffin and the rest of the Pelicans' brass are serious about claiming the rights to a top-tier prospect like Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, or Dylan Harper, they need to shed some of their high-end veterans ahead of the trade deadline, lest they accidentally win their way out of a top-four selection. Thankfully, it appears that a new suitor might be open to dealing for the Pelicans' CJ McCollum soon.
The New Orleans Pelicans could trade CJ McCollum to the Detroit Pistons this season
While the contenders and tanking teams have separated themselves from the pack at this point in the league year, all of the squads found somewhere in the middle have major introspection to do ahead of the trade deadline. This is the point when these franchises decide whether they want to be sellers or buyers.
The Detroit Pistons have surprisingly found themselves in position to be buyers at the deadline. At this time last year, the Pistons were sitting at 4-38 at the very bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. Now, a year later and after swapping former Head Coach Monty Williams for J.B. Bickerstaff and some shrewd offseason moves, Detroit is currently 22-21 and firmly in the postseason picture.
Unfortunately, they lost third-year guard Jaden Ivey earlier this month to a broken fibula. There's a slim chance that he could return in time for the end of the season and the playoffs, but the Pistons won't want to rush his recovery, as he's a rising star who was just having a career year before getting injured.
Now, Detroit finds itself equipped with the most cap space in the league, a bunch of tradable assets, a desire to make a playoff run that they can build upon moving forward, and a void on their roster for a secondary playmaker and shot-creator to alleviate some pressure off of franchise star, Cade Cunningham. That's where the New Orleans Pelicans come in.
CJ McCollum has been one of the most underrated players in the league for a long time and is again putting up another fantastic season despite all of the Pelicans' struggles. The Pistons could use some of their ample cap space to absorb his contract instead of trying to find ways to spend it this offseason, which is expected to have a weaker free agency class.
He would be a fantastic option to fill their scoring and playmaking needs left behind by Ivey's injury and would be a great mentor and veteran presence for them to have even when Ivey returns. Bryce Simon of Motor City Hoops outlined his potential fit with the Pistons on The Game Theory Podcast, stating that he could fulfill all of Detroit's needs while costing and demanding less than other options like the Chicago Bulls' Zach LaVine.
A realistic trade would see CJ heading to Detroit in return for a package like Isaiah Stewart, Tim Hardaway Jr., and a young player like Wendell Moore Jr. or Bobi Klintman plus some draft capital.