The Detroit Pistons’ wild offseason continued yesterday when they traded for Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel and two second-round picks from the New York Knicks in exchange for cap space.
The Knicks are clearly trying to clear space to make a run at a free agent (Jalen Brunson) and the Pistons were happy to rent out some of theirs in exchange for two rotation veterans, a couple of picks and cash.
The Pistons did take on $19 million of salary in the exchange, and there were some out there who thought they probably should have gotten a larger return that included a first-round pick.
But when you consider the two veterans they took on can still play, and are on expiring deals, Detroit can improve, get some insurance for their young roster and still have a ton of cap space at the deadline or next offseason.
But the Detroit Pistons may not be finished making moves, and there are a couple of reasons why.
Detroit Pistons: Who gets the final roster spot?
As of right now, the Detroit Pistons only have one open roster spot and have both of their two way contracts filled, one recently with shooter Buddy Boeheim.
If the Pistons end up re-signing Marvin Bagley III, which seems likely after they made him the qualifying offer), then this would be their roster heading into the season.
Even with the addition of Burks, who shoots over 40 percent from 3-point range, the Pistons are still light on outside shooting, and now have a glut of bigs, with five guys who can play the center position.
They still don’t have a true power forward, and there are some big question marks about how the floor spacing is going to work around Cade Cunningham.
They could look to move one of the bigs, with Kelly Olynyk being the strongest possibility, but that depletes the shooting even more. The roster looks a little wonky at the minute and it’s hard to believe this will be the final product.
The Pistons could trade Burks and Noel at some point
It seems that the Pistons are content to keep Burks and Noel for now, which makes sense, as their roster is very young and these guys will be good to have around.
But these two aren’t Rodney McGruder types who offer “veteran leadership” off the bench, as both can still play and are on reasonable contracts that might not be difficult to move, especially considering they both have team options for the next season, so are essentially expiring contracts.
I was too at first blush, but both Noel and Burks are expiring contracts and may (especially w/ Burks) have enough trade value that DET could spin for more draft assets. https://t.co/TU0rN5bErf
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) June 29, 2022
After the dust of free agency settles, there may be some teams still looking for help after striking out on the free-agent market. If so, the Pistons have two guys who are very tradable.
They will be even more valuable at the trade deadline to any contender looking for 3-point shooting or shot blocking.
It’s already been a busy offseason for Troy Weaver and the Detroit Pistons and free agency hasn’t even started yet, but don’t expect the moves to end here.