Detroit Pistons NBA trade deadline mailbag: How the heck do they get out of this mess?
The Detroit Pistons have been among the NBA's most noteworthy teams for reasons nobody wants to be associated with at the midway point through the 2023-24 season.
They are 4-38 and have suffered a record-breaking 28-game losing streak. A season expected to solidify their status as an up-and-coming team has instead produced significantly more questions, prompting owner Tom Gores to promise changes.
The Pistons recently swung a trade sending Marvin Bagley III, Isaiah Livers and two second-round picks to the Washington Wizards for a pair of expiring veterans in Mike Muscala and Danilo Gallinari. It's a blip of a trade in the grand scheme, but one the team hopes will help set a brighter future due to the cap space it created this summer.
This pre-trade deadline mailbag focuses on the Pistons' various paths from here ahead of Feb. 8. Thanks to everyone who sent a question.
Out of all the rumors for semi big names for the team to trade for, which do you think makes the most sense? Talking names like Murray, Lavine, Grant, etc — @_drkingsdream
Former Piston Jerami Grant — in Year 1 of a five-year, $160 million deal with the Portland Trail Blazers — is ironically the best fit of all the names on the rumor market. The Pistons desperately need a power forward who can shoot, hold his own defensively and handle the ball. That’s Grant. However, it doesn’t appear the Blazers are eager to move him at this point.
Beyond Grant, there are other forwards who fit that mold, to varying extents. The Atlanta Hawks — a mediocre team with a pricy roster — are angling toward a shakeup. 2021 All-Star guard Dejounte Murray is widely expected to be traded, but De’Andre Hunter is the superior fit with the Pistons as a 3-and-D wing. I actually like the idea of adding an all-around good guard in Murray, who would immediately lift the Pistons' talent floor. But they’ve already invested heavily into young guards, which bumps Murray down for me.
Bulls wing Zach LaVine is an interesting case. He has been among the Eastern Conference’s best scorers, but is averaging 19.5 points per game this season — the first time he has averaged fewer than 23.7 since he was a 22-year-old in 2017-18. His efficiency has declined, though he’s still efficient enough to justify his volume. But his injury history and contract (he signed a five-year, $215.1 million deal in 2022), are scary. If he’s the best available option, the Pistons should avoid gambling their ample cap space on him.
If we strike out in the trade market to fill up some of our cap before the deadline, what’s the backup plan? — @Stan4Burks
The pre- and post-trade deadline plans are one and the same — to use the $50-60 million in cap space to add multiple significant talents. The operating belief behind the Wizards trade is that having the additional space now, rather than promising to create it later, will better position them to make the type of swing necessary to meaningfully increase the team’s talent level. The estimation is they have enough room to acquire two larger contracts, rather than one.
If the Pistons don’t like their options ahead of the deadline, they’ll wait until the summer. There has been a lot of focus on the free agency aspect of the offseason, but it’s far more likely they will instead prioritize the trade market.
It would be underwhelming, if not disappointing, if their only pre-deadline move is acquiring Muscala and Gallinari. There was a desire to get more experience and know-how into the locker room, which the duo will provide. But that’s a secondary goal compared to making at least one big, roster-altering move. This season is toast. They don’t want to sacrifice the future just to marginally improve this year.
Do you think another top 5 pick will help this team build or move in a positive direction? Wouldn't it be better to trade this years pick for an established piece? — @Aflucke1
The 2024 draft class is almost universally viewed as the weakest in years. There’s certainly no Victor Wembanyama or Cade Cunningham-level prospect available with the first pick. The Athletic’s NBA draft guru, Sam Vecenie, wrote in December there isn’t a single 2024 player he’d have selected in the top five of the 2023 draft or the top four in 2022. That’s not to say this draft won’t produce any standouts, but the value at the top is uncharacteristically poor.
The Pistons have invested deeply into their young core. Cunningham has showcased "star" upside, and Ausar Thompson, Jalen Duren, Jaden Ivey and Isaiah Stewart are all rotation players at minimum. Another young "star" would move the needle forward, but all rebuilds eventually have to consolidate.
Cunningham is clearly a priority. They’re hoping one of the aforementioned players can, at least, become a high-level starter. With Cunningham becoming extension eligible this summer, they need to surround him with talent and win more games sooner rather than later. Trading the pick, at this point, appears to be a quicker and more reliable path toward accomplishing that goal.
Are we able to call Monty Williams first 1/2 year of coaching a total disaster or does he just need time to learn the roster. Burying Jaden Ivey behind guys that should be in the G-league has been hard to digest. — @bill_blasky
The Pistons are 2-37 since starting 2-1, after Saturday's 141-135 loss to Milwaukee. That’s a total disaster by any definition — on pace for the worst record in NBA history. No coach leading a team with that record deserves a passing grade, regardless of talent level or injuries.
With that said, I’m also of the belief any coach leading this roster would struggle. Perhaps they’ve left some wins on the table, but I don’t think Williams’ coaching has been the difference between four wins and, say, knocking on the door of the playoffs. The Pistons lack defensive stoppers on the perimeter and in the paint, are among the league’s worst at both taking and making 3-pointers, and are both turnover and foul-prone.
That’s a recipe for a losing basketball team, regardless of the coach or scheme. Williams has been slow to adjust, with his unwillingness to utilize Ivey as a primary ball handler until recently perhaps being his most glaring blind spot. But we know Williams can lead a winning basketball program, due to his success with the Phoenix Suns. He’s still learning his new roster, but my belief is the front office bears far more responsibility for the mess the team is currently in.
How high should fans expectations for the off-season be? And why should we trust Troy Weaver? — @bill_blasky
Expect nothing. Do that, and you’ll never be disappointed.
I’m joking, a little, but I think fans should completely reset any expectations they had entering this season. Gores has much to figure out as far as his level of faith in this front office, and if the bones of the roster are sufficient enough to continue this rebuild without substantially altering the core. At this point, it’s fair to say the decision-makers have given fans little reason to be excited.
It’s up to Troy Weaver to prove he’s the right person for the job. Fans are entitled to feel how they feel. Until that happens, skepticism is warranted.
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons news: Why I'm expecting another trade soon
