OG Anunoby trade: Cross another name off Detroit Pistons' NBA free agency 2024 wish list
Cross another name off the Detroit Pistons wish list — one that is dwindling fast.
OG Anunoby, a name mentioned a few days prior as a Pistons target next summer (lol), was traded Saturday from the Toronto Raptors to the New York Knicks in a five-player deal.
Anunoby, 26, is expected to be one of the best free agents in a 2024 crop that has aging star power but perhaps little movement. Anunoby looks like a nice fit between Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle as a premier 3-and-D forward. He has a $19.9 million player option he'll opt out of, barring injury, and will be a heavy favorite to re-sign with New York.
In July, we had Anunoby atop the Pistons' semi-realistic wish list for this summer with their current upwards of $40 million in cap space. On paper, they needed a two-way forward who can shoot. That was before they lost an NBA record 28 straight games that was mercifully snapped Saturday night.
The Pistons' wing situation is so dire, they're starting Kevin Knox II, who was unsigned until November. They desperately need players with both 3-point shooting — they entered Saturday 29th in attempts per game (29.9) and makes (10), and 28th in percentage (33.4) — and defensive chops, traits that all teams are mining.
Now, five months later, nearly everything should be on the table, including the job of general manager Troy Weaver.
What does next summer's menu have to offer?
SHAWN WINDSOR: Pistons have made ugly history. It can still get worse — much worse.
2024 NBA free agency
"We are also set up with a lot of cap space," Pistons owner Tom Gores said Dec. 22.
Well, who exactly is coming to change the team's trajectory through free agency?
We can now remove Anunoby, joining a list of players who have come off the market since August, including Jaylen Brown, Devin Vassell and Jaden McDaniels.
The Pistons is among a handful of teams (San Antonio, Orlando, Utah, Philadelphia) with significant cap space in 2024, but they have never attracted All-Star talent in free agency. And their embarrassing season would only seem to up the price for a significant contributor to choose Detroit.
Forget about the potential names at the top: Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and LeBron James. DeMar DeRozan is a bad fit for numerous reasons. Pascal Siakam could be traded before the deadline and would also be an odd fit.
This leaves some "realistic" unrestricted free agent options:
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (player option)
De'Anthony Melton
Caleb Martin (player option)
Royce O'Neale
Jrue Holiday (player option) and Klay Thompson each seem like a Hail Mary.
The Pistons could also try to overpay and poach a restricted free agent role player, like Patrick Williams, but that's never an easy task.
TRENDING: A nightmarish 2023 is ending for Pistons. Here's what they need in 2024
So yes, the cap flexibility is nice, and the Pistons should be able to find a wing that is more playable than what they have now — the worst in the league.
To surge forward however, the Pistons will need their draft investments to pay off, and swing a trade that balances the putrid roster Weaver put together in Year 4 of his tenure. (The problem there: The Pistons can currently only trade one first-round pick, in 2029 or 2030 at that, and have little value on the roster outside of the young players they just drafted and would clearly prefer not to trade. Not ideal if they intend to make Gores happy as he's "expecting changes" before the Feb. 8 trade deadline.)
Who exactly gets to make those moves this summer remains unknown.
[ MUST LISTEN: Make "The Pistons Pulse" your go-to Detroit Pistons podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]
Nobody covers sports in Michigan like us. Customize your Detroit Free Press experience: Download our app for the latest news, alerts, eNewspaper and more.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons in NBA free agency 2024: Cross off OG Anunoby
