Pistons: 5 Best Trades in Franchise History, Ranked

The Detroit Pistons franchise has been around for quite some time now. The Pistons' first season was all the way back in the 1941-42 season when they were referred to as the Fort Wayne Pistons and played in the National Basketball League or NBL. They then relocated to Detroit starting in the 1957-58 season and remain there to this day.

The Pistons have accomplished quite a lot over the eight-plus-decade history of the franchise. They have won three titles — in 1989, 1990, and 2004 — and have made it all the way to the NBA Finals six times, with their most recent Finals appearance being in 2005 when they lost to Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs in seven games.

Considering all the success that the Pistons have enjoyed over the years, it should come as no surprise that they've made plenty of great trades as a franchise. Some of the best players in franchise history were acquired via trade, such as Ben Wallace, Richard Hamilton, and Rashed Wallace, among others.

With all of that being said, let's rank the five best trades in the history of the Detroit Pistons franchise:

5. Pistons trade for Rasheed Wallace

In February of 2004, the Detroit Pistons received Rasheed Wallace from the Atlanta Hawks and Mike James from the Boston Celtics in a three-team trade.

Wallace went on to spend six seasons of his NBA career as a member of the Pistons. He earned two All-Star appearances with Detroit and averaged 13.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game across 399 total regular-season games played with the franchise (391 starts).

Rasheed Wallace's best season as a Piston came during the 2005-06 season when he averaged 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game across 80 regular-season games.

But, most importantly, Wallace was an invaluable part of the 2003-04 iteration of the Detroit Pistons that went on to win the NBA championship. He was particularly great in Detroit's first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks, as Wallace averaged 14.8 points and 10.6 rebounds per game for the series, and the Pistons went on to eliminate the Bucks in five games.

After the end of the 2008-09 season, Wallace's last season in Detroit, he played for the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks before retiring from the NBA following the 2012-13 season at the age of 38.

4. Pistons trade for Richard Hamilton

In September of 2002, the Pistons sent Jerry Stackhouse to the Washington Wizards for Richard Hamilton in a trade that involved six players in total.

Richard Hamilton spent nine seasons as a member of the Pistons and was one of the best perimeter shooters in the NBA during his time with the team. Hamilton made three All-Star teams with the Pistons and averaged 18.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 0.9 steals per game in 631 total regular-season games played with the franchise (599 starts).

Hamilton's best single season as a Piston came during the 2005-06 season when he averaged a career-high 20.1 points per game during the regular season and led the entire league in three-point percentage (45.8 percent).

Like Rasheed Wallace, Richard Hamilton was also an invaluable member of the 2004 Detroit team that won the NBA title. His best playoff series during the Pistons' title run came in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers, as Hamilton averaged 23.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game for the series, and the Pistons went on to eliminate the Pacers in six games.