Detroit Pistons: The tradability of each player on the roster
The Detroit Pistons are still in a state of rebuilding, although the light is fast approaching the end of the tunnel. As the Pistons head into their (hopefully) final draft in the lottery for a long while, and with money to spend in free agency, this is the offseason where the team becomes competitive.
As the team tries to acquire more talent or assets, the organization has to take stock of what they already have.
I really believe that there are only a handful of “untradable” players in the league (Giannis, Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Devin Booker are all names that stand out) and the Pistons might not be home to any of them, though Cade Cunningham is in the conversation.
There are four levels to tradeable players: we just want them gone, on the trade block for the right price, and absolutely not.
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Of course, fans of the Miami Heat for example would say fan-favorite Tyler Herro is an untouchable piece, but the front office (who ultimately makes the decisions) would probably have him available for the right price. This is often hard for fans to come to terms with, but the NBA is a business. Below, I have slated every player currently on the roster for the Detroit Pistons and where they rank in terms of tradability.
Detroit Pistons: Let them go
In order to fall into this category, you have to be a negative presence on the court or in the locker room, or be a guy that can be replaced for a cheaper price tag. At this level, the team would let them go for minimal return or none at all.
Carsen Edwards
In his debut for Detroit he won the hearts of fans with a 13-point performance, but come on. He’s a fringe NBA player who doesn’t even stand at six feet tall and is not a consistent scoring threat from deep and is a defensive liability. He’s young, but there’s no reason to keep him around when you have better players in the backcourt and better players to pick up in the offseason that play the same position. The Pistons have a team option on Edwards that they are not likely to exercise.
Rodney McGruder
McGruder is 30, not a scorer, a decent shooter, but nothing special. Detroit is trying to go young, and McGruder has all the same problems as Edwards. He’s a free agent and the Detroit Pistons will probably let him walk.