What Detroit Pistons trade for Russell Westbrook could look like

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 02: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder directs a play during a 107-100 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on January 02, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

With one of the league's best on the trading block, Pistons fans are swarming,

While the argument to trade for Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook is split among fans, there's no debate that the Pistons are one of a few teams who could pull the trigger.

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Sam Amick of The Athletic reported over the weekend that Detroit and Miami are on the list of potential suitors.

And while the mountains of money owed to Westbrook are known to have scared quite a few general managers away, sources say that Detroit and Miami are very real possibilities as potential landing spots for the 30-year-old eight-time All-Star. 

Summing up the debate among fans and pundits, here are the major pros and cons of a potential Russell Westbrook trade to Detroit:

Pros

  • Detroit gets another much-needed star to pair with Blake Griffin and/or Andre Drummond.
  • Pistons get a playmaker they haven't had in a long, long time.
  • Detroit becomes at least an Eastern Conference contender.
  • The Detroit sports scene is miserable and needs a big boost.

Cons

  • Westbrook has three more years left on his deal for $124 million, plus a $47 million player option for a fourth year. Whoa.
  • Westbrook isn't a shooter. The Pistons lack shooting.
  • Pistons would have to give up young assets, draft picks for a 30-year-old star with a massive contract.

So, just for fun, let's take a look at some speculative deals being thrown out there:

CBS Sports: "How would a potential deal work? The Pistons could send OKC Reggie Jackson and Tony Snell to make the money work (Jackson expires after this year while Snell has a $12 million player option in 2020), Luke Kennard as the young prospect, and a future first-round pick. The next team we're going to look at -- the Heat -- have better young prospects to offer than Kennard, so Detroit might have to throw multiple first-round picks in should Miami get aggressive."

The Athletic: "The Pistons’ scenario appears to be potentially trickier, with likely candidates to make the salaries match including big man Andre Drummond (two years, $55.8 million combined, including a player option in 2020-21), former Thunder guard Reggie Jackson (one year, $18 million) and Tony Snell (two years, $23.5 million combined, with a player option in 2020-21)."

USA Today: Andre Drummond (two years and about $55.8 million left) is the most likely candidate to be the centerpiece of any trade for Westbrook, with Reggie Jackson (one year, $18 million) and Tony Snell (two years, $23.5 million) also having salaries large enough to potentially include. In that scenario, the Thunder would also likely demand draft picks in return for taking on so much salary beyond this coming season."

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About the Author:

Ken Haddad has proudly been with WDIV/ClickOnDetroit since 2013. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters, and helps lead the WDIV Insider team. He's a big sports fan and is constantly sipping Lions Kool-Aid.