PistonPowered staff wishes and predictions for Detroit Pistons offseason

The Detroit Pistons have limited flexibility this offseason unless they do something dramatic to transform the roster — for better or worse.

The Detroit Pistons had their 2018-19 season end in disappointment. The Milwaukee Bucks swept them out of the first round of the playoffs with relative ease.

Blake Griffin’s injury and the glaring holes on the roster were the Detroit Pistons’ undoing. Griffin enters the offseason recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery.

The team at PistonPowered is beginning to look ahead to the offseason. Some of our contributors compiled their wishes for the Detroit Pistons’ offseason as well as predictions for what they believe could happen this summer:

"From Spyros Papadakos (@RudonGayward):Player development:“This should be priority no. 1. We don’t have cap space, major trade chips or a high draft pick. Getting value out of our own is the way to move forward. Thomas, Svi, Maker and whoever we draft have to be able to contribute if we’re going to make this work next year. That way, the Pistons can use all of your FA money on a starting SF and a back up PG. Getting the most out of Luke and Andre’s potential is also a huge part of the program.”Continuity:“Roster shake up and injuries have been the Pistons’ Achilles heel for years. Running the same system again with the same players will go a long way. Well defined roles is how teams reach elite levels of execution. Every time a player gets traded or injured those change and you got to start over. This summer we’re mostly looking at minor changes. I don’t see us moving Dre, Blake or Luke and i don’t think an elite PG will be available for us. Reggie has embraced his new role (and thrived in it), Luke can get into his rhythm coming off the bench (and finish games), Blake knows how teams come at him (and has an offseason to prepare) and Andre will have a better understanding of what he has to do (and be efficient).”Big wings:“We were short on the wings before the Stanley trade, but now we’re the Smurfs’ Village. We have to add at least two players that are 6’7 or taller, can defend both forward positions, make open shots, attack a close out and finish inside. Marcus Morris, Aminu, Ariza, Gay are all good MLE options. Our position in the draft also allows us to pick a big wing that fits the same criteria or most of them.”"

"From Ben Lanza (@BenJamminLanza):Make A Play for a Star Guard:“After how well Blake Griffin played when healthy this past season, the Pistons should have two things on their mind: maximize his prime and taking some of the load off of him. Acquiring a Mike Conley or Jrue Holiday would do both of those things. Both of those players will have lower asking prices this offseason, and if the price is right for the Pistons, they should do it.”Find a Wing Defender:“All Pistons fans should have nightmares about Thon Maker guarding Giannis Antetokounmpo for long stretches in the postseason. The Pistons will have their full MLE to use on a starting wing, and they should use it to finally bring in a quality small forward. Finding one that can knock down threes is a plus.”If Nothing Else, Stay Flexible:“With Reggie Jackson, Jon Leuer, and Langston Galloway coming off the books after next season, the Pistons may finally have some financial wiggle room. Those players will have added value next season as expiring contracts, or the Pistons can choose to keep the cap space and sign someone next summer. Either way, the Pistons should stay away from taking on big contracts unless that player can take them to the next level.”"

"From Joye Pruitt (@joyethewriter):No squad can fly without their wings:“The Detroit Pistons have Blake Griffin in tow, but one superstar isn’t enough. The Pistons don’t need to star-chase until they have proven that this is a progressive, or at least progressing organization. That picture can’t be painted until Detroit has some quality wing players to promote in the lineup. The options need to be both productive offensively and stout defensively. The only consistent wings the Detroit Pistons have at season’s end to bolster the position are Luke Kennard and Wayne Ellington.Bruce Brown’s lack of initiative to score makes him ineffective on one end of the floor. Glenn Robinson III just made it back into the rotation to contribute 13 points in a Milwaukee Bucks sweep. We could go on until our tongues are numb, but the fact is that the wings of a team carry their team’s offensive charge by standard and the Pistons lack the depth of wings with those qualities.”Draw up some Drummond plays for Christ’s sake:“Andre Drummond is the Detroit Pistons’ second scorer in line, right behind Blake Griffin. It’s time to understand that there are two characteristics of his game that are not mutually exclusive:a) Drummond is a double-double machine who has had more 20-point, 20-rebound games than I can remember. He deserves more credit than he is given due to his inability to stroke three-point jumper like Joel Embiid or Al Horford.b) There are pieces of his game that can improve. Under the previous regime, questionable player development has played a role in Drummond’s underrated reputation. He does make mistakes throughout the game from poor defensive rotation to his lack of offensive technique at times.Andre Drummond needs to become a more integral piece in Casey’s offensive scheme next season, nonetheless.”Keep Blake Griffin in the loop – for everything:“There is a negative stigma that surrounds a star basketball player’s need to control his environment. In most cases, his position in the organization yield’s a greater value for their bottom line. Blake Griffin’s arrival has provided a light for the Detroit Pistons that had been dim. Not to say he deserves autonomous control over the Pistons franchise, but he has earned an honest conversation about the direction of the team.His performance in the first round of the eastern conference playoffs was plagued with injury. Griffin could not be who he wanted to be and who everyone understood his team needed against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Blake Griffin still gives the Detroit Pistons a recruiting agent that they did not have before. Once the organization can create some financial freedom, Griffin is the nucleus of the plan moving forward. To make sure he is included is standard procedure.”"

"From Brendan Triola (@TriolaNBA):Draft the best player available:“The Pistons don’t have a lot of flexibility this when it comes to cap space, so they need to get as much out of the 15th pick as they can. While the Pistons biggest need is certainly a wing with some length, they shouldn’t shy away from picking a canter or a guard just because of that need. No matter the position, aside from maybe shooting guard, the draft pick will certainly have an opportunity to make an impact.”Take a flier on Isaiah Thomas:“If Isaiah Thomas could be had for the veteran minimum, I am fully onboard with scooping him up. If he can get healthy, he can provide a scoring boost off the bench that the Pistons haven’t had at the point guard position, allowing Luke Kennard to get acclimated with the starting group. If not? He can get the Jose Calderon minutes. And there’s no way he could be any worse.”Look to move Langston Galloway, but don’t attach an asset:“After his vanishing act against Milwaukee, it is safe to say the Galloway experiment might be over. Even with a $7 million cap hit, I would rather see young players like  Khyri Thomas or Svi Mykhailiuk get those minutes to start the season. Should there be a destination for Galloway that doesn’t require an asset to be attached I would be all for shipping away, but I wouldn’t add a young asset to move him. No more Middletons.”"

"From Ryan Love (@RealestRyanLove):Find a backup center:“The Pistons were a total mess almost every time Andre Drummond could not be on the floor. Drummond was the team’s best defensive player all season and replacing him with the likes of Zaza Pachulia was not ideal. Pachulia will be gone next season and the team will want to count on more than Thon Maker to pick up the slack. Drummond has his fair share of games stuck in foul trouble so he will need a more effective backup going forward (We miss you Aron Baynes).Draft a playable wing:“Stanley Johnson and Reggie Bullock left Detroit before the trade deadline — leaving the team the thinnest it’s been on the wings in years. While I believe the trades were the right thing to do for the future, the immediate results were not pretty. The Pistons’ perimeter defense suffered the second half of the season as opposing guards and wings got into the paint and challenged Drummond regularly. This year’s draft is very top-heavy, but that means the Pistons should have a shot at several of the middle-of-the-road first-round caliber players with the 15th pick. Take a wing that can keep players in front of him and shoot the ball better than our old friend from Arizona.”Clear at least one pricey contract:“The Pistons are just one more season away from freeing up an immense amount of cap space — if they play their cards right. A lot of that strategy will require them to stay patient and wait it out. The old Josh Smith money and the crippling Jon Leuer contract will come off the books next summer. Reggie Jackson and Langston Galloway are also going into the last years of their respective deals. Leuer is virtually stapled to the Pistons, but Jackson and Galloway could garner some trade value — especially after Jackson’s career-reviving season in 2018-19. The Pistons can find a deal to dump one of those contracts and I think they will. My only wish is they deal them for assets rather than bigger contracts in return.”"

"From Joe Minyawi (@joeminyawi):“Detroit needs a reliable big man who can chip in off the bench all around. A big who can defend and hit shots. Someone like bringing back Aaron Baynes.”“Draft the best player at 15. A player who is a play making wing. Able to create for himself and defend multiple positions.”“Build on this season and grow together as a gritty tough defensive team. This way the Casey mentality will grow more and Blake can lead a better team to more success.”"