2 potential buy-low trade targets for the Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons have the worst record in the NBA are mired in a seven game losing streak with no end in sight, so trade talk has already begun.

There have already been teams reportedly inquiring about Bojan Bogdanovic and it won’t be long before Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel are mentioned in rumors.

Aside from trading away veterans, the Pistons could look to find young talent and/or reclamation projects that may need a change of scenery to thrive.

Troy Weaver has done this in the past with guys like Josh Jackson, Marvin Bagley III and Kevin Knox, as all were high draft picks that had talent but had been busts so far.

It’s a low-risk gamble, and if one of them ever works out the Pistons will potentially have an impact player on a value deal. So far I’d say the results have been mediocre, but it’s something we could see Troy Weaver do again this season.

HoopsHype recently put together a list of trade candidates from each team, and there were a couple of potential “buy-low” players among them, guys with talent whose stock has plummeted.

Detroit Pistons: Buy-low trade targets

Matisse Thybulle: Philadelphia 76ers

Thybulle has barely been playing for the 76ers this season and he’s in the final year of his contract, so it makes sense that he might be on the trade block.

Thybulle is still just 25-years-old, and though he can’t shoot and wouldn’t help the Pistons already-terrible offense, he can defend. He’s been All-Defense in the NBA twice and would potentially give Detroit the wing stopper they need.

His value is probably at an all-time low given his contract situation and lack of playing time this season, but it’s hard to see a match without adding another salary, as Thybulle is only making $4.3 million this season.

There are a lack of wing defenders in the 2023 free-agent group, so this would be a way to potentially get one on the cheap and re-sign to a team-friendly contract.

James Wiseman: Golden State Warriors

Wiseman was recently sent to the G-League after falling out of the rotation, but this is a guy who has shown big-time potential in the past.

It’s hard for me to imagine Golden State just giving up on a 21-year-old player that they drafted 2nd just two years ago, but it would be a way for them to add some veteran help to their roster and potentially lessen their tax bill next season when Wiseman is due $12.1 million.

He’s not a great fit on the Detroit Pistons as currently constructed, but if they plan to use Isaiah Stewart as a power forward, Wiseman would potentially be an upgrade at backup center behind Jalen Duren in the future.

I have no earthly idea what the Warriors will be able to get for Wiseman, whose value is surely at its lowest, but it would take a trade partner that has minutes for him and has a “help now” veteran whose contract does not extend past this season.

The Detroit Pistons fall into that category and Troy Weaver expressed a fondness for Wiseman in the past, so who knows. It would be like buying a lottery ticket at this point even though the fit is questionable.

The Detroit Pistons aren’t likely to be big buyers on the trade market this season (though you can’t rule it out) but they could look for some of these low-risk targets with potential. It might not be either of these two, but these are the types of names to watch.