3 Pistons that won’t last the entire 2022-23 season with the team

A Detroit Pistons’ fire sale

If Detroit gets to the trade deadline and are way out of contention, which I personally hope is not the case, then they could have a fire sale to clear roster spots and future cap space ahead of the 2023 free-agent class.

I don’t think it is likely but we could see all of these guys moved before the end of the season if things go south fast.

• Hamidou Diallo (on an expiring deal)
• Alec Burks (veteran shooter with only a team option after this season)
• Bojan Bogdanovic (an expiring contract and probably the best trade asset for a contender)
• Killian Hayes (Detroit picked up his option for 2023-24 but it’d be easy to move)
• Rodney McGruder (if some team needs veteran bench depth)

It’s pretty clear that Detroit has identified the guys they are going to build around, and that the players above are currently on the periphery of that discussion.

The least likely to be moved would be Killian Hayes, as he is still so young and the Pistons won’t lose anything by keeping him around, as they could move him in the offseason or just let his contract play out and see what happens.

Diallo will be fighting for minutes all season and is the worst fit with the current core, so I’d say he’s the most likely to be moved of this group.

Detroit needs to have some veterans around and Burks is a good fit if he is healthy and plays well, so I could see the Pistons picking up his option for the 2023-24 season, as his trade value would still be there either way.

Bogdanovic would certainly have value at the deadline, so this status will depend on his fit with Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey along with the team’s position in the standings. He’s a guy who might have been on their free-agent radar anyway, so I expect the Pistons will try to re-sign him unless things go very poorly.

Trading McGruder would really just be a favor to him if he’d like to go sit on the bench for a contender and watch the playoffs with better seats.

Let’s hope that Detroit is contending at the deadline and looking to add talent instead of trade it away, but if they are not, expect some moves.