The Detroit Pistons will be looking for upgrades this offseason wherever they can find them, as they need an influx of talent and will use the 2022 NBA Draft, free agency and possibly trades to find it.
One team they could target is the Atlanta Hawks, who just lost in the first round of the playoffs and were a disappointment overall this season after making the Eastern Conference Finals last year.
The Hawks will have some big decisions to make on their roster and might decide to do a light rebuild around Trae Young and John Collins after flaming out against the Heat.
The Pistons were connected to the Hawks in trade rumors earlier this season and it’s possible that they will be again this offseason, as Atlanta will be looking to upgrade around Young and have some pieces that might interest Detroit.
They have two low-cost unrestricted free agents, an expiring contract and potential buyout and one big trade sitting there that makes sense for both teams.
Detroit Pistons: Low-cost free agents from the Atlanta Hawks
Fans are hoping the Pistons make a big splash in free agency, but they could also just look to shore up their depth and improve their bench with veterans.
The Hawks have two unrestricted free agents that would be low-cost bench depth and might interest the Pistons when they are looking to fill holes in their roster late in the offseason.
Neither of these guys are huge difference makers but would be cheap veterans for the bench.
Gorgui Dieng
The 6-foot-10 veteran center is a third center option at this point in his career. He no longer offers the rim protection the Pistons would like, but he does have one intriguing skill which is shooting. Dieng hit 42 percent of his 3-point attempts for the second season in a row, so the Senegalese Sniper can still hit them. He’s also a good free-throw shooter, which you love in a big man.
Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot
Luwawu-Cabarrot is a 6-foot-7 small forward who played 52 games for the Hawks this season, 18 as a starter. He hit 36 percent from long range this season and in his best year made 39 percent on 3.4 attempts per game, so he’s a guy who can knock down a 3-point shot. He’s not great at any one particular thing but is a solid veteran backup wing. He’d also be another French guy for Killian Hayes to hang out with.
These two probably won’t get snatched up until the end of free agency and would only interest the Detroit Pistons if they had an open roster spot they wanted to fill with a low-cost veteran.