The Pistons might do little this offseason and that’s ok

The Detroit Pistons will enter the offseason with a top-7 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, a quality trade asset in Jerami Grant and as much cap space as any team in the league.

Pistons’ fans are already drafting their dream scenarios where the Pistons land a top-3 pick, trade Jerami Grant for a top-10 pick from Portland, sign Deandre Ayton and maybe Jalen Brunson and go into next season as a contender for the playoffs.

While I would be happy if all (or most) of that happened, it’s also possible that the Pistons do not make a trade or add a big-name free agent and essentially go into next season with the same team plus their 2022 draft pick.

In fact, I don’t think it is a long shot that the Detroit Pistons do very little this offseason, which might not be the worst thing.

Detroit Pistons: The restricted free agents

I would love the Detroit Pistons to make an offer to Deandre Ayton, as he is the right age and has the right skillset to help take this team to another level and get the most out of Cade Cunningham and Killian Hayes. Just watching the way Chris Paul always has a lob outlet in Phoenix definitely has me thinking about what a guy like Ayton would mean to Detroit.

But he also means a lot to Phoenix, so even though they turned down the chance to extend him last summer, it’s hard to believe they are just going to let a 23-year-old center like Ayton walk for nothing, especially if they win or get close to a title. If the Pelicans pull off the upset in the first round, who knows, as the Suns may decide that team has reached it’s ceiling and go another direction.

Miles Bridges is probably the next-best restricted free agent but is reportedly looking for a max deal that should give the Pistons pause. Same with Collin Sexton, who is coming off a major injury and may not be the best fit with Cade Cunningham.

There are unrestricted free agents like Zach LaVine (who I would love but is a pipe dream) and Jalen Brunson (I like him but it depends on the cost), so if the Pistons strike out on Ayton, they could be shut out of the free-agent market altogether.

That might not be the worst thing, as saving their cap space would allow the Pistons to make trades that absorb salary or to just sit on it until next summer when there is a much better and deeper crop of free agents to spend it on.

The Jerami Grant trade

If the Trail Blazers aren’t willing to part with what is likely to be a top-7 pick for Jerami Grant, the market for him may never develop, as there are limited teams that have assets to trade and the need for Grant.

Grant is the type of player who would benefit a contender but there just aren’t many contenders who have the assets or cap space for him.

If Grant isn’t traded by draft day, expect him to sign an extension and stay in Detroit. That doesn’t mean they won’t trade him at some point, but it’s hard to imagine the Pistons going into this season with Grant on an expiring deal.

Detroit Pistons: Stability is a good thing

The Detroit Pistons only won 23 games this season but are hopefully done with tanking. I want them to enter next season with the play-in as the minimum goal, but I don’t think they should sacrifice the future to get it.

Troy Weaver spoke of being “principled but aggressive” this offseason and I agree with that approach. The Pistons should definitely be trying to improve (and there are plenty of ways to do it without a big-name free agent) but not by overpaying for players that don’t move the needle.

Also, this will be the first season in a long time that the Pistons are entering with some amount of stability. They will have the same coach and core and were starting to play well post All-Star break, so I would rather see the Pistons make some complementary moves to shore up their depth (adding a decent veteran or two would help) than to take big risks on guys who could end up giving them mediocre production for max pay.

Even if the Detroit Pistons just added their draft pick and a mid-level free-agent veteran, they are likely to be better next season with internal improvement, so if the Pistons strike out on the top guys, don’t despair.

Leaving some powder dry for future moves would be better than making the wrong ones, so if the Pistons do little this offseason, they might be better off for it in the long run.