The Pistons 2.0

A casual reader on ESPN or SI.com will notice that generally speaking, most of the trade rumors going around in the NBA at this point usually involve the Pistons trying to pry away another team's best player. These trade rumors kicked off with Carmelo Anthony and have most recently made their way around to Baron Davis (?). So this got me to thinking what sort of talented but unsuccessful superstar would jump at the chance to go to Detroit? The list below shows the best fits:

1. Tracy McGrady, G/F Houston Rockets
Remember the time from about 2001-2003 when T-Mac was the shit and was widely considered the best player in the game? Due to the fact that he has the back of a man four times his age, McGrady probably doesn't have even six more seasons in him, and his play has declined from just three seasons ago. However, I put T-Mac at #1 on this list for one reason: like Kevin Garnett, he is on the short list of star players who fits the profile of a Detroit Piston.
Consider that McGrady is likely aware of his NBA mortality, is probably fiending to get out of the Western Conference and would love to be surrounded by a deeper supporting cast and you can see how the Pistons would be a better fit than the team he has now. Granted, injury is always a nagging problem with him, but even if McGrady plays only 65 regular season games, it'd be worth it if he could patch himself together for the playoffs. The other reason that T-Mac is tops on the list is that you'd figure the Rockets are itching to become a more complete team and even if they trade their (second?) best player, the Pistons are one of the few teams that can offer a package of equal value.
The Trade: Tracy McGrady for Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince

2. Elton Brand, F Los Angeles Clippers
If you take nothing else from Brand's career in the NBA, at least he was one of the few highly-touted Duke players to actually meet with success in the NBA. Brand is an articulate gentleman who also happens to be a beast anywhere in the key and plays for possibly the worst franchise in pro sports. If I were Brand, a ticket out of the poisonous Clippers organization would be a godsend, especially for someone looking to prove himself after recovering from ACL surgery. Like McGrady, Brand is a maligned superstar who has not had so much as a whiff of the NBA Finals; he would get that as a Piston. A trade involving Brand and Rasheed Wallace makes sense for both teams on multiple levels; first, Brand makes a lot of money and the Clippers owner, Donald Sterling is a notoriously cheap guy. Rasheed Wallace's contract expires after next season, giving the Clippers over ten million dollars in cap relief. Second, the Clippers have another guy, Chris Kaman, who makes a living in the paint and would appreciate someone like Sheed to bring defense and spread opposing defenses. The Pistons on the other hand, need a consistent low-post scorer like none other, Brand would be brought in specifically to give the inside game a much needed shot in the arm. Again, the Pistons bring in a hungry, underrated star to make a title run, the Clippers get flexibility and the services of the most versatile power forward in the league for at least a season.
The Trade: Elton Brand for Rasheed Wallace and Amir Johnson

3. 'Melo, F Denver Nuggets
For anyone who remembers 2003, that was the fateful year the Pistons could have drafted Carmelo Anthony, instead of mega-bust Darko Milicic. Along with the Kwame Brown debacle, Darko and the Pistons' misstep both represent the biggest basketball "what-ifs" of the 2000s. It literally pains me to think of TV footage of 'Melo happily attending Pistons games and proudly proclaiming that come draft day, he would be a Detroit Piston. Now, no sports fan should ever make a claim to knowledge about the decisions of any pro athlete, but I know that if I was Carmelo Anthony, I would bear just a little bit of a grudge towards the organization that should have drafted you. Perhaps that will be one of the biggest stumbling blocks towards a trade between the Pistons and the Nuggets, but maybe, it still isn't too late to mend some fences or rebuild bridges as the saying goes.

The Trade: Carmelo Anthony for Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince

The resulting roster (or, the likely roster versus the hypothetical roster):
PG: Billups/Stuckey
SG: Hamilton/Mcgrady
SF: Prince/Anthony
PF: Wallace/Brand
C: Maxiell/McDyess

Bench notables: Afflalo, Johnson, Herrmann, Hayes