The Detroit Pistons have traded Sekou Doumbouya and Jahlil Okafor to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for DeAndre Jordan (who they already waived) and four 2nd-round picks.
The trade of Doumbouya raises some questions, namely why the Pistons were willing to pay DeAndre Jordan to play for the Lakers just to get rid of their 20-year-old prospect.
My guess is that the Pistons didn’t see Doumbouya as part of the future and wanted to open a roster spot for a player who they think could be.
After the Pistons re-signed Hamidou Diallo, someone had to be cut or traded and it seemed like Doumbouya was the odd man out of the rotation anyway.
So Troy Weaver has another roster spot to work with, and he can either fill it now, or leave it open for future moves.
If the Detroit Pistons decide to fill that spot now, here are three possibilities for how they will do it.
Detroit Pistons: The Pistons could promote Luka Garza
The Pistons signed Luka Garza to one of their two-way contracts after the late 2nd-round pick had a strong Summer League.
I felt Garza would replace Okafor at some point in the season anyway, as the latter really only has one offensive skill (post play) and can’t do much else, while Garza can shoot the 3-ball and is a better defender, though that is not saying much.
After trading Okafor, the Detroit Pistons are light at center, where they only have 2nd-year player Isaiah Stewart and free-agent acquisition Kelly Olynyk, who is really more of a power forward.
Adding Garza to the full-time roster would give the Pistons a third center as insurance and another versatile big who can shoot.
But if the Pistons feel Garza needs some time in the G-League, they could use this roster spot on another guy who impressed in Summer League.