The Detroit Pistons have a comfortable four-game lead atop the Eastern Conference, which has some wondering if they will speed up their timeline by making a splashy trade at the deadline. The Pistons have come out of nowhere to take over the East, but the blueprint for a championship may not involve making a big trade.
The Oklahoma City Thunder were in nearly the exact same position in the 2023-34 season as a young team that surprisingly won the Western Conference regular season before getting bounced in the second round of the playoffs.
Even before that season started, media and pundits were wondering when OKC would push in some of their considerable trade assets for a splashy star.