Troy Weaver of the Detroit Pistons has shown he is not afraid to make moves.
He earned the nickname Troy Reaper by effectively cleaning the slate and starting fresh after taking over one of the worst rosters in the NBA.
Sekou Doumbouya and Jahlil Okafor were the most recent casualties, and though some fans were not happy about it, Troy Weaver obviously didn’t see Doumbouya as part of the future core.
The Detroit Pistons won 20 games last season and though most expect them to improve, it would be a big leap for them to get out of the lottery and make the playoffs.
Weaver is building for the future and won’t miss a chance to add assets or young talent, which is why he probably isn’t done trading.
Here are three guys who might not make it through the next season in Detroit depending on how things go.
Detroit Pistons: Cory Joseph would be easy to move
Cory Joseph is certainly not a household name, nor a guy who is going to fetch a big return in a trade.
But he has a couple of things going for him, namely that he has shown he can contribute as a backup point guard and he is on a team-friendly deal that would be easy to move.
If the Pistons are out of contention before the trade deadline (which is a distinct possibility the way their schedule is set up) then I could see them moving Joseph to clear minutes for young point guards Killian Hayes and Saben Lee.
Joseph is clearly not part of the long-term plans and was mostly signed as a veteran presence off the bench. If there is a team out there that needs a point guard, Joseph could be on the move.
Detroit Pistons: Josh Jackson won’t finish the season in Detroit
It’s hard for me to imagine a scenario where Josh Jackson finishes the season in Detroit.
There are several factors working against him: The first is that he is on an expiring contract that would be very easy to move.
He has outplayed that contract somewhat and will be looking for a raise that the Detroit Pistons are unlikely to give him after re-signing Hamidou Diallo.
Jackson and Diallo are both plus athletes and defenders who are poor long-range shooters, but Diallo has shown more upside in that department and doesn’t turn the ball over as much.
I like Jackson and think he brings a toughness to Detroit that they lack, but the combination of his contract, overlapping skills and the fact that other teams might want to trade for him, makes him the most likely to be moved.
The ideal scenario for the Detroit Pistons is that Jackson plays well enough to get them some type of return in a trade. If he plays so well that they want to keep him around, even better, but he’ll have to improve his efficiency and quit turning the ball over so much.
Detroit Pistons: Jerami Grant won’t be moved unless it is part of a big deal
I think Jerami Grant could end up being one of the hottest commodities on the trade market next season.
Grant is on a value contract, especially when you consider his production, and he is the type of two-way player that just about every contender could use.
His contract only runs for two more seasons, so there are lot of teams that would love to have Grant without any long-term commitment but as more than a one-season rental.
Grant was in a lot of trade rumors last season, as teams like the Warriors were apparently sniffing around to see what it would take to pry him away. Troy Weaver knows he has a commodity here, so he is not going to trade Grant unless the return is worth it.
There is no reason to, as Grant could fit well into the Pistons’ timeline, he wants to be in Detroit and he is the leader of the team.
But if the Pistons are staring down a top-5 pick again and some team makes The Godfather offer? It will be hard to say no, as Grant is the single most valuable trade chip they have. If the Pistons could get a young player with high upside and a lottery pick or two for Grant, they’d have to consider it.
I still think it is a long shot, as his value won’t diminish and the Detroit Pistons could wait and move him in the final year of his deal, but Grant’s name is going to be popping up in a lot of rumors as contenders try to add talent to their roster at next season’s deadline.