Detroit Pistons: looking at Troy Weaver’s trades so far

As the details of a series of trades the Detroit Pistons have made come out, it makes one wonder what general manager Troy Weaver is planning for the future.

One thing seems to be apparent following the first time transactions were allowed by the NBA since March: Troy Weaver has a lot of confidence in the Detroit Pistons personnel department to evaluate talent.

In the draft, and in the trades he has swung so far, Weaver has certainly reinvigorated the roster, infusing it with young, promising players at all positions.

Some matched the opinion of the rest of the NBA of their abilities. On others, it looks like he believes he may have found some diamonds in the rough as they were not highly rated.

There are, simply, a few moves that seem, on the surface, to look to be a bit at cross-purposes.

• After saying how the Pistons need to get more second-round picks, Weaver traded four of them as part of the Nets-Clippers three way trade.
• Using what is most likely the Pistons most coveted player in terms of value, Luke Kennard, in a three-way trade, and only getting the No. 19 pick (Saddiq Bey) and two guards who were benchwarmers. And still having to shell out four second-rounders (and Justin Patton, its only center) as well in the deal.
• Trading last year’s starting backcourt of Tony Snell and Bruce Brown, in seperate deals, and receiving in return a benchwarmer from the Nets, a second-rounder and a older center who certainly will not be part of the future.
•   Two of the four draft picks were reaches. Weaver might have been able to get the same players later in the draft, at less cost in trades.

Now, are the Pistons a better team now than they were before November 15 (when the moratorium was lifted) _ absolutely. But we can still wonder about what was behind some of the moves.

Obviously, we do not know the inside details. Like, did Weaver have to give up four second-rounders to the Clippers to complete the deal for the No. 19 pick?

I am a big fan of Bey. I am also a fan of the program he comes from, Villanova. Players out of there are usually coachable, fundamentally sound and team-oriented.

Bey might solidify the Pistons small forward position for the next 10 years. Look at what Mikal Bridges, the player Bey replaced at Villanova, is doing for Phoenix. Not an all-star, but solid in all facets of the game.

I understand there was a decent possibility that Kennard might not resign after this season. His agent and Pistons management had not been seeing eye-to-eye.

But come February and the trading deadline, contending teams would be crying out for a player like Kennard, a sharpshooting, smart player on an expiring contract.

Detroit might have been able to get more for Kennard if they had waited; rather than just have him be part of a package for a non-lottery first rounder.

Of course, it Weaver was only doing this solely because Bey had dropped farther than anticipated (most mock drafts had him going in the mid-teens), it is more understandable.

That scenario would make sense as their selection at No. 16, center Isaiah Stewart, was projected to go in the mid-20s of the draft.

There was a far better chance of Stewart being around at 19 than Bey, so it would have made sense to take Bey at 16. Maybe, the Pistons did not have 19 at that point, and they were in need of a center.

But, from the outside, the trade is an overpay.

As for the other players who were traded, or on the case of Jordan Bone and Thon Maker, did not have their options picked up, it is reasonable to feel a pang of loss. These are players who fans rooted for all last season.

However, when a team finishes with a 20-46 record and a new general manager is brought in, you have to expect massive changes.

From last year, Weaver has basically wiped out Detroit’s entire guard line and all of its centers.

Besides the draft choices, there were some players the Pistons got back in the trades: center DeWayne Dedmon, forward Trevor Ariza, center Tony Bradley and guards Jaylen Hands and Rodney McGruder.

Dedmon and Ariza are the only members of the newcomers who have ever been regular NBA starters. But you might want to hold off on buying your Dedmon or Ariza Pistons jersey.

As veterans, there is little reason for them to stay on a team clearly not shooting for a title this season. Dedmon and Ariza both could contribute to a contender. At some point, Weaver will probably ship them off when he gets a good offer, and maybe help restock all the second-rounders they lost.

With free agency coming up, and all NBA teams re-evaluating their roster now that the draft is over, do not think for a second that Weaver is finished wheeling and dealing.

Weaver is, no matter what you think of some of his moves, definitely taken the mandate to change the culture and build a roster for success in the future, quite seriously.