The Detroit Pistons will enter the offseason with a pocket full of money to spend in free agency.
They could use also use this money to make trades, or just sit on it until next season, saving some dry powder for the inevitable disgruntled star that wants to change teams at the deadline.
We know GM Troy Weaver leans heavily on personal relationships when it comes to making decisions, which we have seen blow up in his face recently with the scandal surrounding assistant GM Rob Murphy.
And we’ve also seen him do it with players, as his friend Jim Boeheim’s son Buddy was handed a two-way contract for no apparent reason other than his ties to Weaver, and he has also brought Hamidou Diallo to Detroit after being part of the team that drafted him in OKC.
Weaver has connections to a ton of players through his time in Utah and OKC, many of whom are hitting the free agent market this summer. Will he bring back any faces from his past?
Detroit Pistons: Troy Weaver’s Utah years
Troy Weaver was a scout for the Utah Jazz from 2004-2007 and most of the players he scouted are out of the league. But there is one coach from that time with connections to Weaver in Jarron Collins, who was on the Jazz at that time.
Collins is one of the finalists for the Pistons head coaching job and given his history with Weaver and his success coaching defense in Golden State, he could be the frontrunner.
From 2008-2020, Troy Weaver was part of a very successful run with the OKC Thunder, where he was assistant GM under Sam Presti. There are a wide range of potential free agents from that era hitting the market, from the fringe to the mid-tier to the stars.
Detroit Pistons: Free agents connected to Troy Weaver
The Fringe
Most of these players are on their way out of the league, but it’s possible they could come to the Detroit Pistons if they are looking for a veteran for the back of the bench.
- Darius Bazley
- Mike Muscala
- Reggie Jackson
- Ish Smith
- Markieff Morris
- Danilo Gallinari
This would have been quite a crop of valuable role players like five or six years ago, but most of these guys are on the tail-ends of their careers at this point.
It’s hard to see Weaver having any interest in this group, though Jackson and Smith, who are both currently playing for the Nets, could be possibilities if the Pistons want a veteran to fill the Rodney McGruder role on a minimum deal.
Detroit Pistons: Free agents connected to Troy Weaver
All of these players are still getting minutes in the NBA and some of them are even contributing to playoff teams as we speak. It’s possible Troy Weaver might want to reunite with some of these guys that he helped bring to the Thunder, but none of them are clear fits.
- Hamidou Diallo
- Victor Oladipo
- Dennis Schroder
- Jeff Green
There might be some interest in bringing Hamidou Diallo back after he had a pretty good season off the bench, but there could be other teams bidding and Detroit can’t spend too much money on a wing who can’t shoot.
Oladipo just got hurt and is going to miss a big chunk of next season. His career has really been submarined by injuries after a great start.
Dennis Schroder is playing valuable minutes off the bench for the Lakers in their current playoff run, but he’ll probably be a little costly for a team that already has three point guards and could add another one in the draft.
Jeff Green will just keep bouncing around and taking veteran minimums to chase rings, so is not likely to be coming to Detroit.
Detroit Pistons: Free agents connected to Troy Weaver
Troy Weaver helped draft some very good players in his time with the OKC Thunder, some of whom have gone on to be stars and are hitting the market this summer.
- Russell Westbrook
- James Harden
- Jerami Grant
It’s funny how perceptions of Russell Westbrook have changed over the last few years, as many fans now consider him a chucker who is a detriment to a team but seem to forget that the guy is a former MVP who will be a Hall-of-Famer. Weaver was the one who is credited with coercing the Thunder to draft him in the first place, but it’s hard to see a reunion at this point, as he’s not a fit wit the Detroit Pistons and will likely want to be on a playoff team.
James Harden was another MVP that Weaver had a hand in drafting, but it looks like he’ll either return to Philly or go back to the Houston Rockets, who are reportedly making him a priority this summer (good luck with that!).
Of these three, Jerami Grant is the most likely to end up on the Pistons, as he has ties to Weaver from his days in OKC as well as his time with the Pistons. Jerami Grant is a good fit, and if they could land him after getting the #1 pick, the dream offseason would be complete.