Could Giannis join Cade Cunningham in Detroit? Pundit says move would turn Pistons into contenders

DETROIT – We’re in the throes of the NBA Finals, where the Oklahoma City Thunder are leading the Indiana Pacers 3-2 in this best-of-seven series.

However, much of the attention has been drawn to NBA free agency and potential trade rumors surrounding franchise-defining players, such as Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Antetokounmpo is on the verge of becoming one of the top-five power forwards in league history.

Still, if he comes to Detroit to play alongside Cade Cunningham, not only will the city be back on top, but the league will be put on notice.

The Pistons have a young core featuring Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, and Ausar Thompson, along with future draft picks, which could be enticing to the Milwaukee Bucks if Antetokounmpo asks for a trade.

The Bucks’ championship window is starting to close as they’ve lost NBA Top 75 guard Damian Lillard to a torn Achilles during Game 4 in the first round of the playoffs vs. the Pacers.

Lillard, 34, will potentially make his return to the league at nearly 36 years of age, as it takes six to 12 months or longer to fully recover.

Due to the timing of the injury, Lillard will be out for the 2025-26 season, with the potential to return for the playoffs next season.

Kobe Bryant had that Mamba Mentality, so he returned to the court in eight months, but Durant missed 18 months.

Most players don’t regain their explosiveness until their second year, so the timeline for Antetokounmpo, amid his quest for another championship, is nearing an end in Milwaukee.

ESPN pundit Kendrick Perkins recently stated that he would like to see Antetokounmpo join the Pistons, as Cunningham shares the same mentality.

“Listen to me; I know you like young guys with the same mentality as you. I know you don’t want to shortcut nothing, but you might want to consider going play with that boy Cade Cunningham down there in Detroit.

I’m telling you right now that would be a problem. The east is wide open. If I’m Giannis, I’m seriously considering going to Detroit.

Detroit is back on fire. Great basketball city, a lot of culture, and you have a rising young superstar a rising young superstar in Cade Cunningham.”

Kendrick Perkins

Could you imagine Cunningham and Antetokounmpo running the show inside Little Caesars Arena?

They would literally be putting the motor back in the Motor City.

However, to acquire such a player, Detroit would have to part with many of its young assets, including Duren, Ivey, Thompson, and Tobias Harris, as well as a couple of first-round picks.

That move, though, would ultimately put them in the championship spotlight for the first time since the Going to Work era.

Perkins called out Cunningham, who he said needs to put his pride aside and reach out to Antetokounmpo.

“Sometimes you got to put your pride aside if you don’t already have Giannis’ number; you need to go out there and search. It’s not hard to get big fella, like, ‘Yo, what’s up big fella,’” Perkins said.

Last week, Stephen A. Smith said on First Take twice that Durant should join the Pistons.

He even had Michigan State Spartans basketball legend and Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame guard Erving Magic Johnson speaking the same tune about Durant joining the team that plays in the state where he grew up.

But Durant has narrowed his teams, according to league sources, to the Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, and the San Antonio Spurs.

In reality, Antetokounmpo would have to request a trade from Milwaukee for any type of movement or speculation to become a reality.

But if the Pistons, who finished the regular season as the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference, find out that there’s interest from the Greek Freak, they’ll have no choice but to get a deal done, depending on the cost.