For Pistons fans old and new, the current iteration of Detroit’s basketball team has as intriguing of a young crop of talent as there has been in quite some time.

Four players appear to carry all-star upside or more — Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Jaden Ivey and Ausar Thompson. Others like Isaiah Stewart, Isaiah Livers and Marcus Sasser could be, at minimum, NBA rotation players for several years. The wins haven’t come for the Pistons as of late, but there’s still reason to believe that victories aren’t too far off into the distance.

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The Pistons, not long ago, had one of the more bleak futures in the NBA. That’s not the case anymore. For Detroit, the goal is figuring out how to make the future not as far away.

Here, as I do every year, is my annual column evaluating the Pistons’ top-10 assets/trade chips. This isn’t a list stating Detroit is looking to or will trade these players. It’s also not necessarily a ranking of the team’s current best players. It’s more of a guide to understanding how valuable each player/draft pick is to the organization at this point in time and how they’re valued by the rest of the NBA. Additionally, if the Pistons elected to make a big swing for a proven star, this column will give you an idea of who will have to go in order to make that happen.

Let’s get into it.

The untouchables

1. Cade Cunningham

The 2021 No. 1 pick is the only player in this group. Cunningham, at this moment, is the only player on Detroit’s roster with superstar potential. He projects as a 25-point scorer and should average around seven assists at his peak, if all goes well. Defensively, he will be — and has been — an asset.

It’s easy for people outside of the Pistons bubble to forget the flashes Cunningham has shown and just how revered he was by many talent evaluators going into the 2021 NBA Draft. He’s been out of sight and out of mind after missing pretty much all of last season because of injury. Make no mistake, though, people around the league view Cunningham as a legitimate potential superstar player.

If you need proof or a reminder, look no further than last month, when Cunningham, by many accounts, was considered one of the three best performers in Las Vegas during Team USA training camp after not having played high-level five-on-five basketball since last November.

Potential All-Star players

2. Jaden Ivey

Ivey’s rookie season wasn’t talked about enough nationally. Yes, he started rough. However, from about mid-January to the end of the season, the case could be made that he was Detroit’s best player.

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Having never really played point guard at a high level, Ivey took on lead ballhandling duties after Cunningham went down, and he got better every single month, rising up the scouting reports of opposing teams. Ivey developed a midrange game as the season went on, learned to play with a change of pace and shot 37 percent from 3 from February until April. There’s just a lot to believe in going forward after what the 21-year-old guard showed during his rookie season.

His turnovers need to improve, which I think they will with Cunningham back in the fold, and he needs to get better defensively. But given his work ethic and competitiveness, it’s hard to envision a world where Ivey isn’t a legitimate starter on a good team at some point in his career.

3. Jalen Duren

Like Ivey, Duren, who is only 19, had an impressive rookie season. He was very good on the glass and as a rim runner. He also showed flashes of being a defense-bending passer from the center position.

Duren has all the physical and mental tools to be an All-Star in this league. With more experience, I do believe that’ll be more evident to the naked eye. The strides he takes defensively will determine his ceiling. Duren moves his feet well, has long arms, jumps high and is strong. He’s got everything you want in a defender from the center spot in today’s game. However, Duren has to improve his reaction time and be better in ball screens to fully unlock the upside defensively. The good thing for Pistons fans, though, is that those two things can be corrected with more experience.

The only thing holding Duren back from being higher on this list is the lack of shooting and ball skills. Right now, he’s a traditional center with elite potential as a rim protector. Every team needs those guys, but it’s the big men creating for themselves who are placed in a different tier. It’s not impossible for Duren to get there. He just doesn’t have enough in regard to the shot and on-ball creation to be considered in that tier at this moment.

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4. Ausar Thompson

The only NBA action we’ve seen from Thompson, the No. 5 pick in June’s draft, came from summer league. And, well, it was a great first impression.

Thompson stuffed the box score — averaging a double-double with points and rebounds from the wing — and came as advertised defensively. The ability to make winning plays is in Thompson’s DNA. He does all the little things well, which is rare from someone of his age. It’s hard to see how he doesn’t crack Monty Williams’ rotation immediately with his physical gifts and processing of the game both on and off the ball.

If Thompson ever becomes a legitimate 3-point shooter (and I do think he’ll shoot better his rookie season than some project), he’ll be in the “untouchables” category. He’s got everything else you’d want in a wing in today’s game.

Good pieces to have

5. Bojan Bogdanović

Bogdanović has been one of the hottest names on the trade market for about a year. He’s a career 39 percent 3-point shooter who can create off the dribble. Bogdanović is 34 years old, but he’s shown no real signs of slowing down yet. He’s a good asset to have for Detroit.

Aside from what he provides on the floor, Bogdanović has a contract that, essentially, could be seen as an expiring one after this season. Teams will continue to covet both Bogdanović’s skill set and contract this season, and he’ll continue to be the subject of trade rumors in Detroit as long as he’s healthy.

6. Isaiah Stewart

There’s a reason that teams like the Boston Celtics and New Orleans Pelicans have reached out to Detroit about Stewart’s availability. The 22-year-old big man is already a solid player with room to get better.

Stewart started his transition to power forward last season and showed flashes of being a legit floor spacer while shooting decent-volume 3s for the first time in his career. Defensively, Stewart defends well in space and has upside as a help-side rim protector. He can defend most positions, and that’s something that really shows its value in the postseason.

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Stewart’s future, whether he’s a starter or key bench piece, will be determined by his 3-point shooting and, in turn, the playmaking abilities that will present themselves if opposing teams begin to respect him as a shooter. Detroit seems to believe in his development, as was made evident by his signing a four-year, $64 million extension this summer.

7. Alec Burks

Similarly to Bogdanović, Burks is a proven veteran who could play on any team in the NBA.

A professional bucket-getter, Burks, a career 38 percent 3-point shooter, enters this season on an expiring contract and, also, will regularly hear his name in trade rumors leading up to the 2024 NBA trade deadline.

8. Monté Morris

To round out this group, the newly acquired Morris is one of the five best backups in the league. He doesn’t turn the ball over, defends and can shoot from 3. The Flint, Mich., native also is on an expiring contract and will hear his name in trade rumors.

More to prove, but the foundation is there

9. Isaiah Livers

There’s a lot to like about Livers. He’s a 6-foot-6 wing who is a smart defender and has been a good shooter in a small sample size in the NBA. He’s just got to stay healthy. If he can, it’s hard to see how a 3-and-D, low-maintenance player like Livers isn’t in the rotation when the season starts.

Livers needs to start showing if he’s a great shooter or just a good one. He was a great shooter in college; he’s been a good one in the NBA. If Livers can live around 38 percent or better over the next few seasons, his NBA lifespan probably will increase significantly.

10. Marcus Sasser

Sasser, a first-round pick in June’s draft, had an up-and-down summer league until the final game of the season, when he dropped 40 points. One of the best players in college hoops last year, Sasser projects as a bucket-getting sixth man with real defensive chops. The only thing holding him back is his size, but we’ve seen players of similar build turn into more at this level.

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The soon-to-be 23-year-old probably won’t have a huge role through the first half of the season with the likes of Burks, Morris and Killian Hayes still on the roster, but if two of those names are gone by the trade deadline, Sasser will get ushered into a bigger role. He checks a lot of boxes for Detroit. He’s just got to wait for his opportunity.

(Top photo of Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey: Nic Antaya / Getty Images)