NBA Trade Rumors: Insider Shoots Down Anthony Davis to Pistons Buzz Confirmed by Kendrick Perkins 

Kendrick Perkins made a shocking claim on Friday, saying the Detroit Pistons were showing significant interest in trading for Anthony Davis. Detroit is 13-2 with the longest winning streak (11) in the NBA. While Cade Cunningham has played at an All-NBA and All-Star level, the team still needs a bona fide co-star alongside the point guard.

Perkins claimed the Pistons have the tradeable assets to add Davis next to Cunningham and emerging center talent Jalen Duren. However, NBA insider Brett Siegel has shot down those trade rumors. Responding to a post on X that aggregated Perkins' claim, Siegel wrote:

"Yeah… this isn’t a thing for those wondering."

Brett Siegel

@BrettSiegelNBA

Yeah… this isn’t a thing for those wondering.

Perkins replied to Siegel's counter, saying

"Yeah okay!!!! Keeping waking up"

Kendrick Perkins

@KendrickPerkins

@BrettSiegelNBA Yeah okay!!!! Keeping waking up

The Mavericks will reportedly explore trades to move Davis leading up to the deadline. They are 5-12 at the time of writing and 12th in the West. The Mavericks have No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg to build around. If they finish in the lottery, Dallas can add another top-five prospect to their core in the 2026 draft.

However, the Mavericks don't have control of their picks between 2027 and 2030. Trading Davis would make sense in that regard. The Pistons are among the teams with draft capital and young assets to trade for the 10-time NBA All-Star.

It's a team that makes sense from Anthony Davis' perspective, too. He's not been at his healthiest since last February, but when available, Davis remains an All-Star caliber player, who will still likely want to compete for championships. The Pistons are in those conversations following a hot start.

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Does Anthony Davis to Pistons make sense?

Anthony Davis landing with the Pistons has its pros and cons. From the Pistons' perspective, they need a co-star for Cade Cunningham who can create for himself. Davis can do it at some level. He would also be a relatively cheaper alternative as his market value may not be as high due to his injury history, age and contract.

However, Davis isn't a full-time shot creator. He's more threatening in pick-and-rolls. The Pistons already have that punch with Jalen Duren. The former first-round pick is one of the Most Improved Player of the Year candidates, averaging 20.6 points, 11.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks on 67.4% shooting.

His skill set would clash with Davis', further impacting the Pistons' floor spacing and potentially even minimizing Duren's production. Detroit will likely invest in the 22-year-old more than Davis as a long-term piece, so the ideal choice would be to avoid entering the Mavericks star's sweepstakes.

The Pistons can also use the trade assets on a relatively younger star who fits a need. Lauri Markkanen is among those candidates who would be a better fit than Anthony Davis.