The Detroit Pistons currently have the worst record in the NBA and many around the league expect them to be sellers soon.
This makes sense, as they have a number of veterans that could net them assets, and since they aren’t going anywhere anyway they may as well cash in and get ready for a big overhaul next offseason, right?
Possibly. There is some logic in selling high on guys like Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks, veterans who are playing well and whose trade value will likely never be higher.
Recently, Saddiq Bey is a guy whose name has been dropped in trade rumors, which also has some logic considering how he has played this season and his questionable fit with the other forwards on the roster.
But the Detroit Pistons don’t need to be impatient when it comes to making trades, and may be better off waiting until much later in the season if they are going to make them.
The Detroit Pistons have plenty of time
December 15th is an important date to watch, as it’s the day that many players who signed extensions or contacts with new teams can be traded.
But the real trade deadline is not until February 10, so the Pistons have plenty of time and don’t need to be in a rush. If an obvious win of a trade comes along, I am sure Troy Weaver will jump at it, but they don’t have to be in a hurry, as there could be more teams at the deadline looking to add pieces for a run at the playoffs and they may be even more desperate.
Those extra months may be important for Detroit when it comes to evaluating their roster, which has yet to play at full strength.
The Pistons need to see what they have
Detroit has been playing much better of late even though they have been without Cade Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart and more recently Jaden Ivey and Bojan Bogdanovic.
If they had been playing this kind of energetic team ball early in the season, they might not be in this hole, so it is worth seeing if they can get some guys healthy to evaluate their roster at full strength, something that has not happened yet this season.
It’s possible we won’t see Cade Cunningham again this season, but even if he doesn’t come back, it would be nice to what this team looks like with most of their players and a full bench.
There are obviously going to be more changes next offseason, so they need to see which guys are keepers and can be part of that future.
Avoiding regret
Detroit has a nasty history of trading away guys who ended up being pretty good, with Khris Middleton being the ultimate example. Although Saddiq Bey has not played well this season and his fit is questionable, Detroit could regret giving up on him now.
Bey doesn’t have a clear role on this team right now, but in the right situation, I still think he could be a valuable role player, especially when he’s on a team that is not asking him to do too much offensively. He obviously has to shoot better from 3-point range, but giving up on him now would be selling low on a guy who looked like part of the core after his rookie season.
I’d say the same is true of Bogdanovic and Burks, though they are far more proven and consistent. These are the exact type of players the Detroit Pistons will be looking for next offseason and there are limited options in free agency. Who is to say they will find anyone better, and trading for distant first-round picks is hardly the way to turn the corner as a franchise, eventually you have to have veteran players who are actually good to compete.
It’s possible that all three will be traded at some point, and if that’s the best move for the team, so be it, but it doesn’t have to happen right away and being patient will give the Detroit Pistons time to evaluate and maximize their value.