Troy Weaver and the Detroit Pistons are going to have a busy summer.
They are in the middle of a coaching search, have a top-5 draft pick, need to use their cap space to re-vamp the roster, and will be doing all of it with an ugly scandal hanging over the organization.
The coaching search just got a little more interesting with the addition of a championship winning coach to the candidates and the Pistons seem in no rush to make their decision.
Detroit has no control over the NBA Draft Lottery, so free agency will become the focus soon and the Pistons have to get it right.
I’ve said before that who they don’t sign could be more important than who they do, and the Pistons have recently been connected to one of the most controversial free agents on the market.
Detroit Pistons reportedly pursuing controversial free agent
According to insider Marc Stein (SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED), the Detroit Pistons could be one of the teams pursuing Dillon Brooks in free agency this summer.
This is just days after the Grizzlies made it clear that they did not want Brooks back after his poor play and antics in the playoffs became a distraction for the team. Here is what Stein had to say:
"“Detroit has been mentioned to me more than once as a team to watch in terms of potential suitors for unrestricted free agent-to-be Dillon Brooks.”"
I already wrote about why the Pistons should stay away from Brooks, so this news is troubling to those of use who don’t see him as a good fit.
The Detroit Pistons do need an injection of defense and toughness on the wing and Brooks can certainly provide that, but at what cost? Not only is he looking for an absurd amount of money, but his skill on the floor does not outweigh the negatives he brings both on and off it.
Detroit does need more veteran players who can not only play, but lead this young team, but do you really think Brooks is the guy? He talked copious amounts of trash during the playoffs, didn’t back it up on the court and then refused to talk to the media after losses. He’s not the type of leader this young team needs, and Memphis (also a young team) felt the same.
You put up with some of that kind of stuff from guys like Draymond Green, but he backs it up on the court and has won four titles. Brooks hasn’t done enough to earn that kind of leeway when it comes to controversy and distractions.
Even if Brooks didn’t bring all of that extra baggage with him, this is a guy who just shot 32 percent from 3-point range on six attempts a game, and according to reports, wants a bigger role in the offense. Yikes.
You really want to add an inefficient shot chucker (who wants more shots!) to a team that was just dead last in the NBA In field goal percentage? Brooks’ contributions on defense don’t make up for his offensive shortcomings, nor the distractions he would bring to a young roster trying to find an identity.