3. Corliss Williamson
Corliss Williamson may not seem like the big name that a lot of these others players are, but he was exactly what the Pistons needed during his time here, and they got him for cheap. In the 2000-01 NBA season, the Pistons had been stuck in mediocrity and were only treading downward. In fact, that season they were in the midst of an awful 32-50 season, and something needed to be done to start to turn things around.
That season, the team was able to swing a trade for Williamson, Kornel David, Tyrone Corbin, and a first-round pick, sending off Jerome Williams and Eric Montross, who wouldn’t go on to meet their career projections.
Williamson would also be rewarded with the Sixth Man of the Year award in 2002, creating offense consistently off the bench and playing lock down defense on the other end. Williamson left his mark in his four seasons, including playing a role on the 2004 championship team, and really embodied what the team represented at the time, making this trade a huge win for the Pistons.