Strengthen the wing
An area you wanted to address further was the wing, be it a shooting guard, small forward or combo forward. Gallinari is a two-way combo forward that is an underrated two-way star.
He moves the needle in adding a veteran presence in the locker room. At 6-foot-10, he’s difficult to guard at any spot on the floor with the ability to capitalize on a mismatch on the perimeter or in the post.
Detroit offers additional draft capital to entice the Thunder, who reunite with Reggie Jackson, if only for one more season. You’re not worried about the point guard position after Tim Frazier’s impressive final game.
This is the roster you go to battle with:
PG – Bruce Brown/Derrick Rose/Tim Frazier/Jordan Bone (two-way)
SG – Tony Snell/Luke Kennard/Khyri Thomas
SF – Danilo Gallinari/Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk/Joe Johnson/Sekou Doumbouya/Louis King (two-way)
PF – Blake Griffin/Markieff Morris/Thon Maker
C – Andre Drummond/Christian Wood
The defensive versatility of the starters and offensive firepower of the second unit provides a nice balance. Casey has a wealth of experience to choose from when closing games and depth is preserved.
Detroit wins 57 games and finishes second in the East behind the Milwaukee Bucks. Matching up with the Orlando Magic, Detroit gets not only its first playoff win in over a decade but a six-game series win. Then the Pistons win a seven-game series against the Philadelphia 76ers before losing in seven to the Bucks.
Hope is restored. You are celebrated for bringing the Pistons back and have a busy offseason ahead with Gallinari and Drummond entering unrestricted free agency.
If you wish to start over, click here.
Hopefully this fun exercise sheds light on the difficulty of what the front office deals with, even if the timing isn’t realistic.