Detroit Pistons general manager Troy Weaver sometimes works in mysterious ways. Which is why the Mason Plumlee trade seems confusing at first glance.
According to ESPN senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, Detroit is sending Mason Plumlee and the 37th pick in the draft to the Charlotte Hornets for the 57th pick.
Detroit is finalizing a trade to send C Mason Plumlee and the No. 37 pick to Charlotte for the No. 57 pick, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 29, 2021
Why would the Pistons send their reigning starting center for one of the last picks in the draft? I can tell you, they won’t be finding any star power at the back end of a top-heavy draft.
Detroit Pistons: Mason Plumlee was a salary dump to clear cap space
The trade seems really inexplicable at first look, but there could be some merit to it. Plumlee is owed around eight million dollars per season, in each of the next two seasons. The Pistons were not going to be a big player in free agency, but now that could change as they freed up some salary cap space.
Adding Cunningham’s salary to the mix, Detroit had enough money to sign its own free agents and not much else. Now, they have some wiggle room.
Coach Dwane Casey may nudge Weaver into pursuing reunification with San Antonio Spurs free agent DeMar DeRozan. The two had a lot of regular-season success in Toronto, but never made it to the NBA finals together. Perhaps being paired with Cade Cunningham and Killian Hayes could be enough to push the duo over the hump?
With Plumlee gone, the keys to the team now belong to Jerami Grant entirely in terms of veteran leadership. Maybe Weaver and Casey will allow Grant’s ability to determine where the money will go, or maybe the Pistons are ready to build the team Cunningham wants to play for.
As for the Hornets, they got a steal. A fringe starter or really good backup, Plumlee alone is worth a lot more than the 57th pick, even if he is overpaid a little. Plumlee is a decent passer and screener for his size, which should help LaMelo Ball really take over the Charlotte offense.
This trade was shocking. I did not expect the Pistons to make any draft day trades, let alone one that so blatantly frees cap space up.
It doesn’t appear to be the best idea, but maybe Troy Weaver and company have been doing some secret negotiating and have a good free agent replacement in mind for later this offseason.