The Detroit Pistons have finally decided to keep Christian Wood and they are exploring Khyri Thomas trades to be able to keep Joe Johnson. Here are some possible trades the Pistons could make.
The Detroit Pistons don’t seem to be very happy with Khyri Thomas. It was very odd to see Thomas receiving so few minutes in the preseason, a time of the year that coaches use to see as many different lineups and players as possible.
He played 12 total minutes in three of the five games the Pistons played. That’s three more minutes than Donta Hall. This is very conspicuous and of course, raised some questions about Thomas’ future with the franchise.
Then, people started wondering if Khyri Thomas could be moved even before the season starts. The original dilemma for the final roster spot was between Christian Wood and Joe Johnson. Now, it seems like the Pistons are set on Wood and really appreciate what Johnson brings to the locker room. We know that far.
Detroit Pistons intend to award forward Christian Wood with a regular season roster spot for his strong preseason play but the organization has some roster maneuvering to do, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) October 20, 2019
Maneuvering could mean just cutting Joe Johnson, but that’s not much of a maneuver, is it?
Haynes may have used the wrong word here or the Pistons are actively trying to open up a roster spot and Khyri Thomas seems like a prime target.
He’s easy to trade if you just want to get rid of him. The problem is that the Pistons spent two second-round picks to get him. Spending those assets just to keep 38-year old Joe Johnson seems like a major loss for the organization.
Hearing a handful of PG needy teams have reached out the Detroit Pistons about Khyri Thomas. The Pistons are looking at trade options vs eating any extra money on the cap this year and next.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) October 20, 2019
Trading up for Thomas was one of the first moves the new front office made. Cutting ties with him in favor of Johnson would be a very bad look for them, so they’d try to get something back and spin this as a win. So let’s dive in and look into potential deals.