There is a lot of buzz about how much the Houston Rockets want to get the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft from the Detroit Pistons. However, there is one thing that general manager Troy Weaver demands, that most likely sinks any deal.
Since taking the job of Detroit Pistons general manager last summer, Troy Weaver has been steadfast in one thing about what he is looking for in a player: High character.
That is what he expected from last year’s draft choices, no reason he would not want the same from this year’s.
Troy Weaver on the rookies: "I'm extremely happy with the core four. They're the first in the building, last to leave. We can debate the player, but we can't debate the person." Mentioned all are high-character, hard-working players.
— James L. Edwards III (@JLEdwardsIII) January 14, 2021
Character is very important to Weaver. When talking about a player they are adding via trade or draft, he talks mostly about their high character and how they will fit into the Pistons ‘culture’, even more than their basketball skills.
Why ‘culture’ will stop Houston from trading with Detroit Pistons for top draft pick
One wonders why Weaver puts such a strong emphasis on only having super good guys on Detroit. Before arriving in the Motor City, Weaver spent 10 years with the Oklahoma CIty Thunder. While most were fine citizens, not every player was exactly an innocent, upstanding choir boy.
So why does Weaver demand a higher standard of conduct from Pistons players than the Thunder? Two things are probably involved:
- Weaver was only the assistant GM in Oklahoma City, so he did not have final say in policy, He is in charge in Detroit and creates the guidelines for players. His team, his rules. Obviously, this means a lot to him.
- As a first-time NBA general manager, Weaver does not need to deal with any player drama. He does not want any distractions as he plots a ‘restoration of the Pistons.
Ironically, one of Weaver’s first moves was to sign Jahlil Okafor, whose antics as a rookie in Philadelphia helped end Sam Hinkie’s tenure as GM there.
It is Weaver’s wanting a team of Boy Scouts that will probably kill any chance of a trade with the Houston Rockets.
It is no secret that Houston wants to move a spot up from No. 2 to No. 1 in the draft to take Cade Cunningham, a Texas native.
According to sources, the Detroit Pistons are enamored with prospect Jalen Green while the Houston Rockets are keen on Oklahoma State star Cade Cunningham.
— Evan Dammarell (@AmNotEvan) July 13, 2021
Trade discussions are ongoing but it feels like those two players are all but locked in at the top of the 2021 NBA Draft.
While the Pistons reportedly might be willing to move down a spot and take Jalen Green (and we do not know this to be true, lots of smoke before drafts), the Rockets would still have to offer them something really good to flip the picks.
Since Weaver likes young players with lots of potential, the most obvious trade would be:
Two first-rounders and a very promising player in Kevin Porter Jr., who just turned 21-years-old, is a steep price to move up one spot. But when you have waited 51 years to get the top pick in the draft, it will take a vast overpay to get it away from the Pistons.
Why Rockets-Pistons trade does not work
When a team goes 17-55 (7-46 to end the season), there is not a lot of talented players to entice other teams. If there is no talented player coming in a trade, no way the Pistons pull the trigger just for draft picks.
Houston has former Pistons Christian Wood. He is good but, if Weaver wanted him so badly, he could have signed him last year.
Porter Jr. averaged 16.6 points for the Rockets last year in 26 games. A dynamic scorer is exactly the type of player Detroit needs on the court.
But, off the court, Porter Jr. has had some issues. He was a first-round pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers and was traded a little over a year later to the Rockets for a future second rounder (i.e. virtually nothing). It is generally known that the Cavs would have cut Porter Jr. (not related to the former star point guard for the Pistons of the same name) if the trade had fallen through.
What did Porter Jr. do? Well, a lot. He had some personal issues and was away from the Cavaliers team to start the season. When he came to the arena to begin the process of returning back to the team, he got into a shouting match with team officials about his locker being moved. He left the locker room and that was the end of his career in Cleveland.
It’s funny Kevin Porter Jr is going through tough times and people on social media are clowning him. JUST LIKE YOU he’s going through issues. PRO ATHLETES are human. A lot of us have our moments. Look in the mirror! You NEVER KNOW what someone is going through. Be kind. Always🙏🏾
— Lethal Shooter (@LethalShooter__) January 18, 2021
Porter Jr. has no legal problems, but, obviously, he might need to mature a bit, although he had no problems when he arrived in Houston (admittedly a small sample size, 26 games).
But Porter Jr. is certainly, at the moment, not a Boy Scout. Troy Weaver wants Boy Scouts on the Pistons. So Porter Jr. is of no interest to Weaver, which means the Pistons have no interest in a trade with Houston.
So on July 29, Detroit takes Cade Cunningham. Celebrations ensue.
The character issue, based on how much Weaver brings it up, seems to be a line in the sand he will not cross. Even if it costs Detroit a seemingly advantageous trade, the culture of the Pistons trumps everything else.