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.
Detroit Pistons: Buyout and expiring contract on the Atlanta Hawks
Danilo Gallinari
Midway through the season there was a lot of talk that the Hawks would try to use Gallinari’s contract to get Jerami Grant. Gallinari has $21.4 million coming to him next season, but only $5 million is guaranteed, so the Hawks could buy him out or ship him off to a team that wanted to clear some cap space.
I don’t see Gallinari as a trade option, but if the Hawks were to buy him out the Detroit Pistons might have some interest in adding him on a low-cost bench deal. Gallinari is 33-years-old and can’t guard anyone, but he can do something the Pistons desperately need, which is shoot the 3-point shot.
Gallinari is a 38 percent 3-point shooter on his career and the veteran is still skilled enough to be a weapon in the pick-and-roll.
If I had to guess, I’d say the Hawks will buy Gallinari out and then he’ll join a contender on a minimum deal. But if the Pistons wanted to take a low-cost flyer on a veteran shooter, he is a name to watch if Atlanta does buy him out.
De’Andre Hunter
The 24-year-old Hunter is entering the final year of his contract, as the Hawks already picked up his $9.8 million option for next season. They will have to decide whether to extend him in the offseason or risk letting him become a restricted free agent in 2023-24.
Hunter is a solid 3-and-D guy who shot 37.9 percent from 3-point range this season and just put up 35 points and 11 rebounds in the Hawks’ deciding loss to the Heat. He’s a tough player who fits the mold of a Troy Weaver guy, but what would it take to get him and is he a fit?
If the Hawks decide not to extend Hunter, they could trade him before the deadline to avoid risking losing him for nothing. If so, they’d likely be looking for a young player and a pick, a trade package that would be less than what Jerami Grant would likely fetch.
Unless the Pistons were to trade Grant, I can’t see Hunter as a fit, as they are not likely to have the ammo to get him and his skills are somewhat redundant.
But the Hawks do have one guy who is not only a fit, but might be the perfect trade candidate for the Detroit Pistons.
Detroit Pistons: Trade target on the Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks were one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the NBA this season and the Detroit Pistons were one of the worst.
Detroit needs shooting and the Hawks could use an upgrade of defense and toughness, so there is one trade out there that makes some sense for both teams.
In this trade, the Pistons upgrade their 3-point shooting with a 23-year-old guard with size who shot 38.9 percent from long range this season. The Pistons also get Atlanta’s first-round pick, which will be the 16th, satisfying their trade demand of one young player and a first-rounder for Grant.
The Hawks get better defensively and get Trae Young a guy who can spread the floor and be a primary scoring option at times. The Hawks would likely have to make some more salary-clearing moves to make this work, but it seems like a deal that would hold some amount of interest for both teams.
I wrote about the pros and cons of trading for Duncan Robinson, but Huerter is even less of a risk because he is younger, and his contract isn’t as daunting, as it tops out at $17.9 million in the 2025-26 season.
Is this enough for Jerami Grant? The Pistons might be inclined to say no, as Huerter is a one-dimensional player, so it might take a sweetener (the Hawks 44th pick?) to make this appealing to Detroit.
It’s an interesting possibility that neither team would hang up on right away.
The Hawks are likely to make some big changes this season and will be a team to watch for the Detroit Pistons.