The Detroit Pistons pulled off a masterclass in tanking, won the number one pick in the NBA Draft, and for the first time in a long time, things are finally looking up in Detroit.
The Pistons already have two All-Rookie players in Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart to build around, an ascending young veteran in Jerami Grant and some nice role players, so they are on the verge of being good and hopefully for a long time to come.
They are still a very young team, so they are not one move away from making the NBA Finals, but should instead try to fill some holes this offseason with one eye on the future, as they will still be hampered by Blake Griffin’s albatross of a contract for one more season.
But that doesn’t mean the Detroit Pistons can’t get better, so I’ve constructed a dream offseason that outlines what the Pistons should do in a number of areas, including the NBA Draft, trades and free agency.
Let’s start with the easy part, the draft.
Detroit Pistons’ dream offseason: Take Cade Cunningham in the NBA Draft
The easiest decision the Detroit Pistons have this offseason is what to do with the first overall pick in the NBA Draft.
Cade Cunningham has superstar potential on both ends of the floor, a 6-foot-8 point guard who can score from everywhere, make plays for his teammates, play smothering defense and who has a high basketball I.Q. and desire for greatness.
Cunningham will join Killian Hayes in the backcourt, giving the Pistons one of the best young backcourts in the NBA, though the two teenagers will obviously have to fight through some growing pains along the way.
But the Pistons also have three picks in the second round, which they could use to add additional young talent or to make trades.
Detroit Pistons’ dream offseason: The Pistons trade into the first round
The Pistons aren’t going to have the roster spots for three more rookies, so they could try to package those picks to move into the first round.
They could use Sekou Doumbouya as a chip to make a trade with a team like Oklahoma City, as OKC might like the idea of adding another project player and extra picks.
Another option would be to try and move Josh Jackson, who had a pretty good year off the Detroit bench and might be more valuable to a contender looking for defense and scoring at a low cost.
I would try to trade Jackson and one of the second round picks to the Lakers for their first round pick and then use that pick to grab a shooter like Chris Duarte out of Oregon.
Trading Doumbouya would be giving up early on a 20-year-old who is still on his rookie deal and hasn’t yet gotten consistent playing time.
Jackson is redundant if they re-sign Hamidou Diallo (more on that later) and doesn’t provide the long-range shooting that the Pistons need.
Depending on how many second-round picks the Detroit Pistons needed to kick in to make the deal with the Lakers, they could still have one left, which they can use on a project.
Detroit Pistons dream offseason: Taking a shooter in the second round of the NBA Draft
If the Pistons could use two of their second-round picks to move up in the NBA Draft, they’d still have one left to take a project player who they can stash in the G-League for a season or two.
They could take a chance on a high-ceiling guy like Marcus Bagley from Arizona State University, but my preference would be for them to add another shooter into the mix.
Cade Cunningham is going to get a lot of attention from defenses, so surrounding him with guys who can take advantage of the space he creates is important.
Also, the Pistons already have a lot of long, athletic defenders in Bey, Stewart, Grant and Diallo and already have a defense that was 10th in the league in points allowed.
Their offense was the problem, so they need to get a few more guys on board who can shoot the ball.
My choice would be to add Nah’shon Hyland in the second round, as he is a guy who was a high volume shooter in college, has a huge wingspan, can defend and had a nice Chicago Combine where he showed improved range.
Hyland isn’t just a one-dimensional player but profiles as a 3-and-D guy who would be a nice fit down the road.
Detroit Pistons’ dream offseason: Free agents to let go
The Pistons have seven potential free agents this offseason and most of them have probably played their final games in Detroit.
When the Pistons traded for Cory Joseph, they did so because his final year was not fully guaranteed (unlike Delon Wright) and they could pick up some extra cap space. Joseph played better than expected but is still a guy the Pistons should let go, as he is not worth $12.5 million, which is what they would have to pay if his contract were fully guaranteed.
Dennis Smith Jr. should also be allowed to pursue other opportunities, as the Pistons already have three point guards and he didn’t do much to show he deserves another shot, especially when his qualifying offer is far more than he is worth.
There might be some interest in retaining Wayne Ellington as a veteran who can shoot, but he played well enough this season to possibly get a deal from a contending team, so good luck to you Wayne. If the Pistons could get him on a minimum deal, there could be mutual interest, but if not, he is gone.
Rodney McGruder’s final year is not guaranteed and there is really no reason to bring him back, so he’ll be headed somewhere else as well.
Detroit Pistons’ dream offseason: Free agents to keep
The Pistons traded for Hamidou Diallo with an eye on the future, as he is an ascending talent who fits the mold of what Troy Weaver is trying to build.
Weaver was part of the team that drafted Diallo, so he is very familiar with his skillset and potential. The Delon Wright trade was made in part to clear some cap space for this move, so the Pistons will almost certainly retain Diallo.
Same with Frank Jackson, who had his best season as a professional for the Pistons and showed an improved 3-point shot and ability to be instant offense off the bench, something the Pistons desperately need.
Hopefully the Detroit Pistons and Frank Jackson can come to an agreement on a team-friendly contract that keeps him in Detroit.
Saben Lee is another guy who will almost certainly be retained, as the Pistons can give him another two-way contract or fully guarantee him to start the season depending on what they do with their other roster spots.
I expect both Sekou and Saben will spend some time with the G-League next season, which is fine, as they can both use the extra reps and attention they will get.
Detroit Pistons’ dream offseason: NBA free agents to grab with the mid-level exception
After signing their own free agents, the Detroit Pistons aren’t going to have much if any cap space left, but they should have the full mid-level exception as a team that will be operating over the cap.
I would love if they could grab either a veteran point guard, a shooter or another defender like Torrey Craig, and if they could get two of those with the mid-level, even better.
A shooter like Doug McDermott could fall into that category, and a guy like Torrey Craig would be a perfect defender to add who will compete with the Pistons’ youngsters and make them earn every minute.
It’s unlikely that they would be able to get both of these guys with the MLE, as McDermott is probably going to get a raise after having his best season and Craig has been a big piece on NBA Finals teams two years in a row now, something that people are going to notice, especially if he plays well in the Finals for the Suns.
A veteran point guard like Patty Mills would be another option I would explore and if the Pistons could get any of these three players with the MLE, I’d be pretty happy.
So let’s take a look at what the final roster could look like after the dust settles.
Detroit Pistons’ dream offseason: The final roster
- Point guards: Cade Cunningham, Killian Hayes, Saben Lee
- Shooting guards: Hamidou Diallo, Frank Jackson, Chris Duarte, Nah’shon Hyland, Deividas Sirvydis
- Small forwards: Saddiq Bey, Doug McDermott
- Power forwards: Jerami Grant, Sekou Doumbouya
- Centers: Isaiah Stewart, Mason Plumlee, Jahlil Okafor
Obviously not all of these guys can be on the roster, so the Detroit Pistons would likely send Sirvydis and Hyland to the G-Leauge at the beginning of the season. Their starting lineup and rotation would be:
- PG- Killian Hayes/Saben Lee
- SG- Cade Cunningham/Hamidou Diallo/Frank Jackson/Chris Duarte
- SF-Saddiq Bey/Doug McDermott
- PF- Jerami Grant/Sekou Doumbouya
- C- Isaiah Stewart/Mason Plumlee/Jahlil Okafor
This is not a championship roster (yet) but has a lot of exciting potential and a great mix of defense, shooting, youth and veteran leadership, which might be enough to propel the Detroit Pistons into the playoff discussion or at least the play-in tournament.
I trust that Troy Weaver will have another productive offseason that adds impact talent to the roster but always keeps one eye on the future, as the Pistons have the chance for sustained success after building a young and talented core through the NBA Draft.