The Detroit Pistons spent the summer looking for another high-level creator to put next to Cade Cunningham. A new blockbuster trade proposal would finally deliver one at a substantial price.
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley proposed a three-team deal Friday that would send nine-time All-Star Kyrie Irving and Naji Marshall from the Dallas Mavericks to Detroit while pulling the Golden State Warriors into the transaction.
The framework would cost the Pistons Ron Holland II, Daniss Jenkins, Duncan Robinson, a 2028 first-round pick and two future second-rounders. Golden State would send Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody to Dallas while receiving P.J. Washington, Taurean Prince and Detroit’s two second-round picks.
It is a massive hypothetical. It is also attached to a name the Pistons have already explored.
NBA insider Marc Stein reported in June that Detroit was among the teams that inquired about Irving. Dallas has consistently told interested teams that the 34-year-old guard isn’t available, but rival executives continue to wonder whether that position could change during the season.
Kyrie Irving Would Give Cade Cunningham Proven Co-Star
The basketball argument is straightforward.
Detroit won 60 games last season and finished with the NBA’s second-best net rating before its postseason run ended in the second round. Cunningham established himself as an All-NBA first-team guard and MVP candidate, accelerating a timetable that once appeared centered on patience and development.
That success created a different question for president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon: How much of Detroit’s future should be spent improving its chances right now?
Irving would represent the most aggressive possible answer.
Few guards can match his combination of shooting, ballhandling and halfcourt shot creation. Pairing him with Cunningham would give Detroit another player capable of controlling possessions late in playoff games while allowing Cunningham to spend stretches working away from the ball.
That need became more pronounced after Tobias Harris left for San Antonio on a two-year, $31 million contract. Harris averaged 13.3 points last season and had been Detroit’s second-leading scorer during the playoffs.
Marshall would soften the loss of Holland by providing another physical, versatile wing defender.
But the risk is impossible to ignore.
Irving is 34 and missed all of last season while recovering from the torn ACL he suffered in 2025. Detroit would be surrendering Holland, the No. 5 pick in the 2024 draft, plus a future first-round pick for a veteran whose age and medical history don’t align naturally with Cunningham’s timeline.
Pistons’ Previous Kyrie Irving Interest Adds Intrigue
What makes Buckley’s proposal particularly interesting is Detroit’s documented interest.
Stein reported earlier this summer that the Pistons had contacted Dallas about Irving. Detroit also explored other scoring options as it searched for another creator to complement Cunningham. Dallas, however, repeatedly rebuffed Irving inquiries.
The Mavericks still plan to open the season with Irving alongside reigning Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg. But Stein reported this week that rival teams continue to question whether Dallas will maintain that position as the Feb. 11 trade deadline approaches.
Detroit would have reason to keep watching.
The Pistons are also still dealing with unfinished business involving Jalen Duren, whose restricted free agency has stretched through the summer. Detroit issued Duren a qualifying offer, preserving its right to match an outside offer.
Any Irving pursuit would represent a much bigger decision.
The Pistons have spent years accumulating young talent and draft flexibility. Cunningham’s rise has finally given them a reason to consider cashing some of it in.
Buckley’s proposal asks Detroit to sacrifice Holland and a first-round pick to find out whether Irving can be the player who pushes Cunningham and the Pistons from contender to champion.
That’s a steep price.
For a team that won 60 games and discovered how close it might be, it is no longer an unthinkable one.
Pistons Floated in Blockbuster 3-Team Trade for 9-Time All-Star