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The Detroit Pistons can’t count on 2023 free agency to save them

By Aaron Kellerstrass

Kyle Kuzma #33 of the Washington Wizards handles the ball against Saddiq Bey #41 of the Detroit Pistons (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Kyle Kuzma #33 of the Washington Wizards handles the ball against Saddiq Bey #41 of the Detroit Pistons (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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Detroit Pistons, Bojan Bogdanovic
Detroit Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /

If the Detroit Pistons want to make a leap to playoff contention in the near future, they will need an influx of talent from somewhere other than the draft.

While collecting promising young talent is nice, eventually teams need some adult players to actually win games. Detroit will be in a good position to add to their talented young core, which will hopefully improve as this season goes along and give the Pistons some franchise momentum heading into the offseason.

Obviously, adding a franchise-altering talent like Victor Wembanyama would help, but Detroit certainly can’t count on that happening even if they do end up at the bottom of the league this season.

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The Pistons will have money to spend next offseason, but free agency is another area they may not be able to count on to fill their needs.

Detroit Pistons: Needs and solutions

When you are near the bottom of the league in both offense and defense, it’s safe to say you need talent just about everywhere.

The Pistons don’t necessarily need to add another star player, but they do need a lot more depth, as right now they have guys in the rotation who really shouldn’t be there. Replacing Cory Joseph, Hamidou Diallo, Rodney McGruder and Kevin Knox with quality role players would go a long way towards solving some of their problems.

The Pistons biggest roster weakness (in my opinion) is their lack of defense on the wing, so adding an athletic forward who can defend (being able to shoot would also be nice) should be a priority.

We took an early look at the 2023 free agency class, and there were some intriguing names that are no longer going to be available in free agency. I thought Andrew Wiggins would have been the perfect addition given his age, experience and skillset, but he was since extended by the Warriors.

DeAndre Hunter and Brandon Clarke were both extended, as was sharpshooter Jordan Poole, so some of the best options have already been removed.

There are still some intriguing names among the free agents that remain, but not all of them are good fits and could end up staying where they are.