When the trade that brought center James Wiseman to the Pistons and sent Saddiq Bey to Atlanta came about, there was not exactly dancing in the streets of Detroit. With both players now having spent time with their new teams, indications are the deal was not good for the Detroit Pistons.
If you remember, the four-team trade almost did not happen, as the Warriors said Gary Payton II came from Portland injured. The Warriors eventually decided to take Payton, and the trades went through.
However, looking at the how things have developed, the Pistons might have been better off if it had been cancelled.
Why oh why did Troy Weaver make this move for the Detroit Pistons?
When the trade was announced, it was a head scratcher, as the Pistons already had plenty of big men. There was no pressing need for James Wiseman, but they had few who could shoot adequately from long range, which was Bey’s strong suit.
The same concerns that came up then, are even more prominent now:
Logjam in the post
An injury to Isaiah Stewart that took him out for the final 32 games relieved the pileup of players who play center/power forward a bit, but Detroit still had three post players who should have been receiving a lot of playing time – Wiseman, Marvin Bagley III and Jalen Duren – none of whom play well with any of the others.
All three are poor outside shooters (although Bagley tries to shoot 3s, just not very well). Playing two strictly low-post scoring threats not only made it easier for defenses, it clogged the middle so there was no space for Jaden Ivey or Killian Hayes to drive to the basket.
If you remember, one of the big reasons general manager Troy Weaver traded center Mason Plumlee and brought in three-point shooter Kelly Olynyk last year, was to open the middle for slashers like Cade Cunningham and Hamidou Diallo.
And who can you bench?
The guy you just traded for? No. Your first-round pick from this year who badly needs experience? Nope. Sit the player you just signed to a three-year, $37.5 million contract? No. You have three players you have made major investments in, and they all play the same position
What to do?
You can say: ‘Pick who is part of your future and trade the rest’, but who the heck wants Bagley or Wiseman? Bagley now carries a big contract, and no other NBA teams wanted him last season when he was cheaper, that is why Detroit got him for two second-rounders.
There is no market for Wiseman either. He simply has not played enough and has a history of injuries.
Any trade of Wiseman or Bagley would bring back pennies on the dollar.
You want to get rid of ‘Beef Stew’? Nah. He has been described many times as the ‘Heart of the team’ and is the only big man with even a semblance of an outside shooting touch. Moving Stewart would not be popular either with the fans or the locker room – and the return would not be that great.
So the Pistons have four big men who do not mesh well and would bring little in return if the Pistons wanted to trade any of them. That is a mess, but one of Weaver’s own making.
Detroit Pistons: James Wiseman is not bad
In a vacuum, you can see why the Detroit Pistons wanted to take a look at Wiseman. He is 7-foot, 240-pounds, very athletic and was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
He certainly has had his moments with Detroit, and averaged a very respectable 12.8 points and 8.1 rebounds in 24 games. He did this after picking splinters from sitting most of the season on the Warriors bench.
If Detroit was looking for a center, Wiseman, who just turned 22, would be a promising prospect to fill a need, but they are not looking for one.
Detroit already has a promising, even younger, big man: Jalen Duren, who has a similar skill set, was already in the Motor City and Bagley gets paid a lot to play the same position.
And let’s not even go into what happens if the Pistons do land 7-4 Victor Wembanyama. This trade then looks even worse, as one would expect he will immediately slide into the power forward starting spot.
Saddiq Bey finding role in Atlanta
Bey quickly slipped into a nice role with the Atlanta Hawks. In 25 minutes a game, he is averaging 11.6 points (shooting an eye-popping 40-percent from three-point range) and 4.8 rebounds, as the Hawks prepare for the Play-in tournament.
While Saddiq Bey was much hyped during his time with the Pistons, first team All-Rookie, making the USA Select team, the 50-point game, fans need to remember he was the 19th overall pick in the 2020 draft (17 spots after Wiseman, 10 after Killian Hayes). And Bey played for a prominent college program at Villanova, so it is not like NBA scouts did not know him.
But playing on awful Pistons teams allowed him to stand out. If had been drafted by, say, Milwaukee, how much playing time he would have received early on is open to question.
In Detroit, Bey was part of a group of young players, along with Stewart, Hayes, Cade Cunningham and now Jaden Ivey, expected to lead the Pistons back to prominence.
Bey is not a saviour, he has not turned Atlanta into a powerhouse, but he is a good player, and plays a position that the Pistons are weak at. Next year, Detroit could use Bey more than Wiseman.
Did Jami Gertz outsmart Troy Weaver?
The Detroit Pistons and The Contract
The reason given for trading a productive player for basically a lottery ticket is that Saddiq Bey is eligible for a contract extension this summer, and his representatives told the Pistons, he wants to get paid.
OK, but if this is the reason, it is kind of shortsighted, as:
- Wiseman, being from the same draft class, is also eligible for a contract extension. You might get away without inking Wiseman now because he is such an unknown, but its the same contract status as Bey.
- This is a decision that could have been pushed off for a year. Bey is under contract for the 2023-24 season. Detroit could have waited and seen how Bey fit with what should be an improved lineup with Cunningham, Ivey, Bogdanovich, Hayes and a high draft pick rookie (Wembenyama, Brandon Miller, Scoot Henderson). If the Pistons want to make a move next year, that would have been the smart decision.
- Bey can ask for a ‘bag’ but that does not mean he will get it. Remember, back in 2017, when Kentavious Caldwell-Pope thumbed his nose at Stan Van Gundy and his $80 million contract offer and demanded a max contract? How did that go? Not well financially for KCP. Bey is a super-good guy and a hard worker, but, the bottom line is, he has been an inconsistent shooter and is a mediocre, at best, defender who struggled against athletic wings.
- The Pistons have oodles of salary cap space in the future. According to Spotrac, Detroit will have $47 million of practical cap space next season and a whopping $125 million for 2024-25.
If Bey played well next season, and Detroit chose to retain him, it is hard to believe the Pistons would not have enough ammunition to outbid any team,
And Bey would be a restricted free agent. Detroit could match any offer, if they so choose, and keep him. It is hard to believe, knowing the Pistons grand canyon of available cap space, another NBA team would offer Bey a ‘insane’ number. He simply is not a franchise player.
Conclusion
Three months later, swapping Wiseman for Bey still makes no sense. If Jalen Duren continues to develop (and there is no reason he shouldn’t), this trade looks even worse.
We know general manager Troy Weaver loves big men, but Wiseman is superfluous on the current roster. Even if does become the player he was projected to , how would people know with four players divvying up playing time for – at best- two positions.
Even if, worst case, Bey left after next season for free agency, at least Pistons fans would get a look at the long-awaited draft rebuild of Bey, Stewart, Cunningham, Hayes and also 2023 first rounder, and see how they would do healthy and together.
Sorry, still seems like a dumb move.