Detroit's Chances of Landing Markkannen Could Hinge on This Player Being in the Deal

The Detroit Pistons are the feel-good story of the season. After asserting themselves into the playoff picture last season, they’ve taken another step this year. They are currently the second-best team in the NBA with a record of 14–2, which, as of Monday, puts them as the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. 

Despite their awesome start to the season, some believe that the Pistons are potential buyers on the NBA trade market. After all, the Eastern Conference is as wide open as ever, and the Pistons still have assets (many of which they aren’t actively needing) to make a trade to solidify their contender status. 

One name that has been floated as a possible Pistons trade target is Lauri Markkanen. Markkanen would be the perfect power forward to play with Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren, and his age makes him the ideal third star to help bring the Pistons to the next level for years to come.

Jake Fischer of The Stein Line recently reported that getting Lauri might not be as easy as some think. 

“Another likely obstacle that should be factored into the persistent Markkanen-to-Detroit speculation: Utah would almost certainly want Thompson in return. Sources say that the Jazz, in fact, considered trading up to select him during the 2023 NBA Draft. The Pistons, as you can imagine, do not want to trade their Thompson twin. The Jazz hope to be competitive in 2026–27 and have signaled to rival teams that any trade offers they are prepared to consider — whether they target Markkanen or otherwise — have to keep them competitive.”

The Detroit Pistons should be very apprehensive about including Ausar Thompson in any trade. While his brother, Amen, is getting most of the admiration these days, Ausar still has tons of potential. 

He is having career highs in points, rebounds, assists, and steals, and is still only 22 years old. Waiting to see what Thompson can fully become is worth missing out on a great player like Markkanen.