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.
Detroit Pistons: Could Jamorko Pickett get the final roster spot?
Jamorko Pickett was impressive in Summer League, but was it enough to earn a roster spot?
I was kind of surprised that they didn’t offer Pickett one of their two-way deals, as he earned his way into the starting lineup in Summer League playing 23 minutes a game and averaging 9.8 points and 3.8 rebounds while making 50 percent of his 3-point attempts.
Pickett seems like a Weaver guy, as he is a 6-foot-9 forward who can defend multiple positions and people around the Pistons have raved about his motor and work ethic, things that were often questioned about Doumbouya.
Pickett played all four years at Georgetown, so he is already 23-years-old and is more likely to contribute now than the raw, 20-year-old Doumbouya.
If the Detroit Pistons offer him a roster spot outright then it is definitely a sign that Troy Weaver wants him, as that would come with a guaranteed salary. It’s hard for me to imagine this happening, but he does fit the vision Troy Weaver is building around, which is to have a bunch of position-less wings who can defend all over and shoot 3-pointers.
I still think Pickett is a long shot and that the Pistons are more likely to use the roster spot on a mystery man or no one at all.
Detroit Pistons: Will the Pistons make a big move?
If the Detroit Pistons do not use the roster spot for a guy who they know or is already on the team, then there could be a mystery player coming to Detroit.
Does Troy Weaver have something up his sleeve?
There has been a lot of talk about Ben Simmons lately, and I think there are some pros and cons to trading for him, but it’s hard to see the Pistons swinging for the fences like that considering they are probably a year or two away from being a playoff contender.
As much as I’d love the Pistons to make a splashy move, I think it’s far more likely they go into training camp with that spot open and see if someone seizes it.
If not, they could just leave the spot open in case a trade presents itself this season, which I think is a very likely scenario.
A lot of fans are not going to like this move, as it seems like the Pistons are giving up on Sekou Doumbouya too early, but I trust Weaver’s evaluation of talent and he has seen a lot more of Sekou than we have.
Now we’ll have to wait and see what the Detroit Pistons do with that open roster spot.