The Detroit Pistons currently have four centers on the roster in Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart, James Wiseman and Marvin Bagley III.
So far the two-big experiment has not been successful, but it is hard to Judge in such a small sample size and without the full complement of players.
All four players are under contract for next season, but that doesn’t mean they will all be back, as Detroit definitely needs help on the wing and that may require making a trade if they don’t get one in the draft or free agency.
Detroit may just keep them all, but if all of them are ever healthy at the same time, it’s going to be hard to get them all minutes.
Of course, given the injury troubles that have plagued MBIII and Wiseman, that problem may never come up and Detroit may have to keep all four to ensure they have two healthy centers in the rotation at all times.
There is also the issue of paying at least $34.1 million for four centers when only one of them is really considered starting caliber.
If they do, a rotation like this could work:
- Cade/Killian
- Ivey/Burks
- FA/Draft pick/Livers
- Bojan/Stewart
- Duren/Wiseman
Stewart and Wiseman are the only big-man duo with a positive net rating this season and could be a nice complement for one another off the bench. But as you can see, this leaves one big man out, which might be a moot point if they aren’t all healthy at the same time.
But if they are, it leaves one big potentially out of the rotation, so could a trade be coming? If so, who is it going to be?
Detroit Pistons: Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart unlikely to be traded
Jalen Duren would probably have the most trade value given his age and productivity so far, but those are also the reasons the Detroit Pistons wouldn’t consider moving him.
Stewart is also likely safe, as he is the most versatile big they have, can play the power forward position and is the only one who has had any success playing with another center. Stewart has also improved every season and has flashed some ability to shoot and attack close-outs off the dribble.
Beef Stew is also the best defender of the group, and the Pistons have a horrible defense, so losing him could potentially make it even worse. Stewart is due for an extension this offseason, and Detroit may be able to keep him long term on a value deal that is less than Bagley III and Wiseman will be making next season.
Could the Detroit Pistons flip James Wiseman?
Troy Weaver and the Detroit Pistons seem to be high on Wiseman’s potential, as they had to give up Saddiq Bey to get him. Wiseman probably has more upside than Bey, though Bey has already proven he can be a productive rotation player with limitations, especially defensively.
Some other team may also believe the same, so Wiseman’s age and talent could make him a trade piece that could bring back some talent, especially if it were packaged.
But for any team to really want Wiseman, he’d have to show that he can consistently impact games, and so far, he’s been up and down, flashing some of his huge talent, but also some of his flaws in his short time as a Piston.
He’s also making over $12 million next season, which makes him a little harder to move unless Detroit could find a team with a similar contract that wanted to take a flyer on Wiseman’s upside.
There may not be enough time left in the season for Wiseman to really get into a rhythm, find a role and have some big games, so there will be less data for teams to go by. Could Detroit move Wiseman for a similarly flawed player at a different position?
It’s possible, but Troy Weaver seems to like the idea of having two bigs available to be on the floor together and we have yet to see the Wiseman/Duren pairing, so it seems unlikely.
Detroit Pistons: Is Marvin Bagley III trade bait this summer?
Marvin Bagley III has been pretty good since returning from injury, as he has averaged 16.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in five games.
MBIII can be a monster in the post and on the glass when he is engaged, but he still has big-time defensive limitations whether you want to put him on a center or a power forward. Big man duos featuring Bagley III have the worst net ratings of any combination we’ve seen so far, though the sample sizes are fairly small.
He’s also got a lot of crossover skill wise with Wiseman, so keeping both of them seems like overkill. But does Bagley III have any trade value?
There are a couple of things that could make him difficult to deal. The first is that he has not been able to consistently stay on the floor. When he is healthy, MBIII is a quality backup center who can carry a team offensively in stretches, but he’s only played 30 games and counting this season and hasn’t played more than 48 since his first year in the league when he played a career-high 62 games.
Then you have his contract, which pays him a guaranteed $12.5 million through 2024-25, which is a lot for a guy who is unreliable. If you could guarantee he’d play 65+ games, teams would bite, but there is certainly no assurances of that since he’s never done it.
To trade MBIII, the Pistons would either have to attach an asset or take back an equally troubling contract, which is why this deal is Troy Weaver’s worst in his time in Detroit.
Unfortunately, if the Detroit Pistons want to move a big man this offseason, the ones that will have the most value are the two they’d most want to keep, so we could definitely see this team roll into next season with all four of them.