Backup point guard should be priority in free agency for Detroit Pistons

After trading for Tony Snell and drafting Sekou Doumbouya with the 15th pick in the draft, backup pint guard should now be the priority for Detroit Pistons.

The biggest weakness on the Detroit Pistons roster this past season was their wing rotation. After trading away Reggie Bullock and Stanley Johnson, the Pistons simply lacked any size at the small forward position.

This was no doubt Ed Stefanski and the Pistons main priority during this off-season. With limited cap space and a pick outside the lottery, many thought it would be extremely tough for the Pistons to address this need.

So, of course the complete opposite happens before free agency even started.

The day before the draft, the Detroit Pistons traded away Jon Leuer for Tony Snell and the 30th pick in the draft. If you told any of us in the Pistons community that we’d get a competent wing and a first round pick for Jon-freakin’-Leuer, we’d all Camby you.

Great trade for the Pistons that netted them a wing who can hit threes and has some size to him, perfect! Already started attacking the wing position and the Draft hadn’t even started!

Then the Draft started and luck broke the Pistons way, again. A projected top-10 pick in this years draft, a 6’9″ replica of Pascal Siakam dropped to them at pick 15. Yes, I’m talking about Sekou Doumbouya.

A player with immense upside, talent, length, and size to add to the Pistons wing rotation.

Now, I ask you: How in the hell did the Pistons get lucky enough to address their wings BEFORE free agency even started?

There’s also a second round pick the Detroit made in the 19 year old forward from Lithuania Deividas Sirvydis, but he’s expected to be stashed away overseas this season.

In my opinion, this was an exceptional draft by the Pistons. Addressed the biggest need on this team, and opened up another avenue for free agency.

That avenue I’ll speak about here.

Originally, the worry heading into the off-season with the Detroit Pistons was how would they address the wing rotation, backup point guard, and backup center in free agency with only  mid-level exception.

With the wing problem all but addressed completely, the Pistons can and should turn their attention completely to backup point guard.

Ish Smith is likely gone, a change I completely agree with.

This site has wrote many articles on potential point guard targets, and the Pistons now have wiggle room to potentially use their entire MLE on their backup point guard. They could still split the exception and use it on a point guard and a backup center, as well.

If the Detroit Pistons wanted to go after a difference maker like Derrick Rose off the bench, they have the opportunity now to spend what’s needed to get him. If they wanted to overpay for a player like Seth Curry or Patrick Beverley, they can now do that.

The moves made by Stefanski before July 30th has given his Detroit Pistons new avenues to take that simply weren’t there before this week. Consider that a win, Pistons fans.

Now, we wait to see what avenue the Motor City wants to drive down.