Valenti proposes Cade Cunningham trade for Pistons

While the most pressing item on Trajan Langdon's agenda is hiring a head coach, the most important one he makes in his first offseason as president of basketball operations for the Pistons might concern Cade Cunningham: Does he give the former No. 1 pick a max rookie extension? Or, unlikely as it may be, does Langdon blow it all up and trade him?

Valenti says that "you should be at least discussing" a trade in the wake of the worst season in franchise history, or you risk going all-in on a player who will wind up wanting out (listen in the audio player above):

"The way I view it is this: unless I have a horizon in the next two to three years of becoming a legitimate playoff team capable of winning a series, Cade will demand out. You will sign this extension and hand him all the power."

Cunningham can sign an extension this summer worth $225 million over five years, ahead of his fourth NBA season. To Valenti, "Cade is not a top-50 player in the NBA ... and unless you believe he can be a top-10 player, I don’t get the wisdom in automatically handing out $250 million just to be terrible. "You need to trust that Trajan Langdon is smart, you need to empower him, you gotta let him maneuver. How do I do it?"

"Let’s say you call the Spurs."

With Victor Wembanyama, Valenti says the Spurs are "ready to win." And Cunningham "presents a pick and roll option for him and a Robin to Wemby’s Batman."

Valenti would offer Cunningham to the Spurs for 24-year-old forward Keldon Johnson and three first-round picks:

"Keldon’s not a great defensive player, but he can shoot from distance, he’s 24 years old and he’s signed though 2027 on a decent deal of $19 million a year. That’s a wing — something you don’t have — that’s a guy who can guard three positions, especially power forwards, he’s a slasher and a shooter. It’s a piece, and I get three first-round picks. Now I have all my own picks, I gotta figure out what I’m going to do with the Knicks. I have some war chest. And what I don’t have is a $50 million player on my roster. I’m not telling you it’s perfect."

Valenti says the Pistons could even get four first-rounder if they delayed the arrival of the picks until next year: "And before you laugh, start to look at what these deals are netting. Three, four first-rounders, it’s not uncommon. Then you factor in some pick swaps. ... I don’t get the wisdom in rolling it forward (with Cunningham)."