The Detroit Pistons will play tonight’s game against the Heat with Luka Garza the only center on the roster.
Garza is pretty much unplayable at the moment because of his defensive limitations, and though I like his potential, he’s a long way from being an NBA rotation player right now.
Trey Lyles has covered some minutes at center, but he’s not great there (to put it mildly) and is not a long-term solution. I do like a few of the small-ball bench groups with him at the five, but those can only work in short bursts.
Kelly Olynyk is out with injury and Isaiah Stewart will miss the next two games after being suspended for reacting to LeBron James’ cheap sucker punch.
The Pistons were small before they lost both of their centers and even with Stewart back in the lineup, they may need another big.
The Pistons have a big man problem, but should they just ride it out until next season or try to make a trade? I don’t think see Detroit making a blockbuster deal, but there are some low-cost guys out there that they could probably get in a trade without giving much up.
Marvin Bagley III might be worth a risk for the Pistons
I wrote in detail about Marvin Bagley III here, so I won’t belabor the point.
He is a guy who has been coming up in rumors since last season, when it became apparent that he wasn’t going to be part of the Kings’ rotation of the future.
The Kings just fired their coach and are a hot mess at the moment, so they might want to see how things pan out in the next few weeks before they start the inevitable fire sale.
The Pistons won’t have the contracts to match up with the Kings until they can trade some of their newly signed players in December anyway, so this one is on the back burner unless a third team gets involved.
Two centers on the Pelicans the Pistons could target in a trade
The New Orleans Pelicans have been terrible this season without Zion Williamson and may have a fire sale of their own soon.
They have two centers the Pistons could target, one solid veteran and one unproven but high-ceiling big.
Willie Hernangomez
If the Pistons just wanted a stopgap veteran who can eat up some minutes without taking anything off the table, then they could target Willie Hernangomez.
Hernangomez has been in and out of the Pelicans’ rotation but has produced when he is in there, including last night when he logged a 19 point, 11 rebound double/double.
He is not the athletic rim runner the Pistons could use, but he is solid, can defend and score around the hoop. He is a decent free throw shooter and would be a great backup to Beef Stew until Kelly Olynyk returns.
Jaxson Hayes
If the Pistons wanted to target a young guy with upside then 21-year-old Jaxson Hayes should get a look.
Hayes has recently been benched and it seems like the front office, fans and coaches in New Orleans are starting to sour on him as a prospect.
He had some off-the-court issues this offseason and hasn’t played much in this one, with his numbers down across the board. Hayes has flashed unworldly athleticism at times but is still raw in just about every aspect of playing basketball.
He would definitely provide the lob threat the Pistons lack and could eventually evolve into a very good shot blocker, so might be worth a risk. Could the Pistons get him for Josh Jackson and a second-round pick? Possibly, which is why Hayes is a guy I would inquire about if I were Troy Weaver.
He fits the timeline and fills a present and future need potentially for the Pistons.
Chris Boucher could provide the shot blocking the Pistons lack off the bench
Another low-cost veteran that I like is Chris Boucher of the Toronto Raptors.
He is pretty much buried on the Raptors’ depth chart, only playing 14 minutes per game, and the Pistons might be able to steal him away with the right offer.
Boucher had a breakout season last year on a bad Raptors’ team, averaging 13.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game, so this guy can play.
But he hasn’t been able to duplicate it this season with his minutes slashed on a better team. What intrigues me about Boucher is that he shot 38 percent from long range last season on 3.9 attempts.
I’d love to see the Pistons at least inquire about him, as he could fill the gap for a few seasons while Garza tries to get better defensively and he would give the Pistons some shot blocking, lob threat and shooting off the bench.
None of these players are going to turn the Detroit Pistons into a contender, but they would help fill needs and offer something that their current big-man group does not.