The Detroit Pistons have one of the youngest rosters in the league and are realistically still a season away from really competing for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Of course, if Cade Cunningham et al. make the leap sooner than expected, then they could sniff the play-in next season or even be the big surprise team like the Cleveland Cavaliers were last year.
One thing is for certain, the Detroit Pistons are likely to head into next offseason with a copious amount of cap space, and should be ready to start adding pieces around their young stars in an effort to compete in the East.
They already have potential star guards in Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey, with a good backup in Killian Hayes, who will hopefully develop into more.
They have five players who can play center, and several who can play power forward as well in Isaiah Stewart, Kelly Olynyk and Marvin Bagley III. What they really don’t have are forwards who play on the wing, with Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Livers as the only real wing players who figure to be in the rotation. Alec Burks will get some run there but is more of a guard and guys like Hamidou Diallo and Braxton Key will be on the fringes of the rotation.
Taking a quick look at the 2023 free-agent wings, there are certainly some big names, but one in particular stands out as a good option for the Detroit Pistons.
Detroit Pistons: 2023 NBA free-agent wings
There are some very good free-agent wing players hitting the market in 2023 including LeBron James, who I am going to go out on a limb and say won’t be coming to Detroit. That leaves at least four top unrestricted free agents that might interest the Pistons:
- Andrew Wiggins
- Harrison Barnes
- Bojan Bogdanovic
- Kelly Oubre Jr.
Restricted free-agent De’Andre Hunter is another guy who might get a look from Detroit.
The name that really stands out to me is Andrew Wiggins, who is just the type of two-way forward the Pistons need. He is a great perimeter defender who can handle a couple of spots and a proven 3-point shooter who shot over 39 percent last season for the NBA champions.
He’s a veteran who will still be in his prime, has championship pedigree and fills a position of need for the Pistons, as it would allow them to move Saddiq Bey around and put him in the most favorable defensive matchup.
There has been plenty of talk lately about Draymond Green coming to Detroit, but Wiggins would actually be a much-better fit and is still just 27-years-old.
Of course, the Warriors will have plenty to say about this, and it is very possible that they will come to a contract extension with Wiggins, but if they don’t, he’ll hit unrestricted free agency next summer.
Any of the other three (Barnes, Bogdanovic, Oubre Jr.) would be a decent consolation prize, but if Wiggins is available, he will be one of the Detroit Pistons’ top targets.