The Detroit Pistons will head into the offseason with a lot of work to do.
They are currently the NBA’s worst team and have a mismatched roster that is heavy on centers and light on wings.
Troy Weaver has talked a lot this season about the plan to pivot towards winning (easier said than done) and we’ve seen with teams like Cleveland and OKC that quick turnarounds can happen in the NBA, which is as wide open as it has been in some time.
But Weaver also has to be careful not to overreach this offseason, which is why the dream summer can’t really happen without some luck. But if a few things bounce their way, the Detroit Pistons could be in the mix as soon as next season.
It’s a long shot, but here’s how it can happen.
The dream offseason for the Detroit Pistons
Land the #1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft
It all starts with the 2023 NBA Draft, which should dictate how the Pistons approach the rest of the offseason. Land Victor Wembanyama, and your time to get better is now, as he is a franchise-changing talent that would put Detroit in the position to be good with the addition of the right complementary players.
If the Pistons don’t get the #1 pick, then they should probably choose a different offseason strategy, as there are better players potentially available in 2024. Spending all of their cap space on impact free agents would be smart if they already have Wembanyama, but otherwise, it might be a year too early to go “all-in.”
Yes, it’s possible the Detroit Pistons will make a leap if they land a pick in the 2-5 range, but Wembanyama speeds things up considerably and would give Detroit the chance at a young super team with Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren already on board.
So the dream has happened, the Pistons have bucked the 86 percent chance that they don’t get the #1 pick and the Motor City is rejoicing. Now it’s time to make some moves.
The dream offseason for the Detroit Pistons
Clear some space
The Detroit Pistons have too many bigs, and if they are set on developing James Wiseman, then trading Marvin Bagley III makes sense, especially if they were to land Wembanyama.
There would not be minutes for all of them, and MBIII is too good and too expensive to be sitting on the bench as the third center who never plays.
He’s the worst fit with the other big men and is owed $12.5 million next season. He won’t be easy to trade given his injury history, but Detroit could try to dump him on a team with cap space in exchange for a lesser contract or even just a second-round pick or two.
They could even package him with a guy like Bojan Bogdanovic to make him easier to move. This would require the Pistons to take back a contract or two, but would put them in position to sign some big-time free-agents that are better fits and can do the thing that Bogs and Bagley III can’t, which is defend.
If Troy Weaver really wants to build around a defensive identity, then getting rid of two of the worst defenders might be necessary, even if it means taking back lesser role players.
The dream offseason for the Detroit Pistons
Get your guys
The Detroit Pistons now head into free agency with a ton of money, and the roster spots to add some impact free agents who are better fits.
If they really want to build around defense, brining back Jerami Grant makes a lot of sense, as he can defend a couple of spots, is athletic and long, and has shown that he can be effective off the ball, as he has been this season, shooting over 40 percent from 3-point range. The Pistons wouldn’t lose much shooting but would be way longer and better defensively.
That will eat up most of the cap space, but leave enough to sign another impact guy. Torrey Craig has always been a favorite of mine, as he’s another long wing who can defend multiple spots and doesn’t need the ball in his hands to make an impact.
So how about going into the 2023-23 season with this rotation?
- Cade Cunningham/Killian Hayes
- Jaden Ivey/Alec Burks
- Jerami Grant/Torrey Craig/Isaiah Livers
- Victor Wembanyama/Isaiah Stewart
- Jalen Duren/James Wiseman
Sign me up.
This team is huge, athletic and has length at every position. It has guards that can create and score, wings that can shoot and defend and bigs that can protect the rim. It allows Troy Weaver to live out his dream of playing big but with players that actually complement each other instead of what we have now.
Am I wrong, or is this a team that could make a leap into the playoffs next season in the Eastern Conference? Either way, they’d be set up for years to come, still young but ready to compete right now and for the foreseeable future.
They’d be protected from injuries with some quality depth and enter next season as one of the most exciting teams in the league and one that would likely get about 25 nationally televised games.
Is this likely to happen? Nope. But it’s not impossible, as all it will take is some love from Lady Luck. From there, Troy Weaver can go to work and build a team that would make the Detroit Pistons one of the hottest names in basketball.
Of course, there is an 86 percent chance that the first part of this doesn’t happen, which negates the rest, but when your team is 16-60, dreams are all you have.