Cade Cunningham injury means Pistons will gas up the tank

Cunningham has been out since November 9 with an injury to his left shin, and now the team fears he may need season-ending surgery. The Pistons already have the NBA's worst record at 3-15. With starters Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart also out injured, Detroit has a very real chance to finish November with a single win, and a 3-20 record overall.

What does that mean, besides more playing time for rookies Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, and 21-year-old Killian Hayes? It means that the Pistons career of forward Bojan Bogdanovic may end up being quite brief, even though he signed a contract extension three weeks ago.

Detroit traded Kelly Olynyk to Utah for Bogdanovic in September, in part because Bogdanovic wanted an extension. At the time it looked like Utah was dumping veterans to tank but they're leading the Western Conference instead. It also looked like Detroit was ready to perhaps compete for a play-in spot after adding Cunningham with the No. 1 pick in 2021 and pairing him with two lottery picks this year. Instead, they have the league's worst record.

Who else might go? Any veteran over age 25. Alec Burks could provide points off the bench for any contender, and he's back from his foot injury. He's got a team option for 2023-24. So does center Nerlens Noel, who has been battling injuries all year but provides good defense when he's healthy. There's also Cory Joseph, a competent backup point guard, on a highly-tradeable $5.1 million deal.

It's a frustrating injury for the Pistons - and a bad sign for their medical staff - but at least being really bad in 2022-23 may come with a valuable consolation prize: Victor Wembanyama.