Pistons could collect draft assets, shore up rotation in push for playoffs, or both
The NBA trade deadline is at 3 p.m. ET today, and the Detroit Pistons have already made a couple of moves. First, they netted a couple of second-round picks in exchange for defensive forward KJ Martin in a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers . Next, they received Lindy Waters III and Josh Richardson from the Warriors and Heat, respectively.
That means the Pistons now have 17 players on a 15-man roster, which will necessitate other moves. It could be as simple as releasing little-used Wendell Moore to facilitate the Waters and Richardson deal and then releasing Richardson to take in Martin. Or the Pistons could execute additional trades.
There are certainly holes on the roster and roster-building avenues that make sense. Pistons president Trajan Langdon hoarded $14 million in cap space to execute trades for draft assets. He could continue to do that by organizing the trade sequences in certain ways and cycling players in and out. He could also think about the short-term needs as the Pistons look to secure a playoff berth. The team is short ball-handling and a reliable scorer with the absence of Jaden Ivey, and they might want a more reliable power forward option than what Simone Fontecchio has been able to deliver this season.
If the Pistons want to make a big move at this point, I’m not sure where they turn. All the biggest fish have already changed teams ahead of deadline day. The Pistons were able to worm their way into the big Jimmy Butler-Andrew Wiggins trade between the Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors (along with the Utah Jazz getting minor pieces).
The Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs were able to make their big deal of De’Aaron Fox by looping in the Chicago Bulls, who sent out one-time supposed Pistons target Zach LaVine (allegedly wanted by the previous regime, to be clear). The Pelicans shipped out Brandon Ingram to Toronto for former Pistons Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, and picks.
Even Lonzo Ball, who many people thought made sense as a low-cost Pistons target (myself included) signed a contract extension with the Bulls.
Most recently, late Wednesday, the Lakers decided to push all their remaining attractive trade assets in (Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, an unprotected pick, and a pick swap) to Charlotte for extremely tall man and awesome lob threat Mark Williams.
If you’re wondering whether I was wondering whether the Pistons would have been willing to take on that same package in a deal for Jalen Duren, yes, yes, I did. I also think the answer is probably no for the organization, but a yes from me.
The Pistons still have as much as $8.7 million in cap space to help facilitate deals today. If they don’t have anything to their liking, they will simply slide Martin’s deal into that slot. If they do find another way to use that space, they will fit the trade in using the room exception.
But we are also at a point where the team already has too many players and every additional move means players coming in mean players coming out or being released. We will see what the Pistons and the rest of the NBA do today.