The Detroit Pistons are moving slowly this offseason, but once things get rolling, there is going to be a lot of action.
They are still searching for a head coach after owner Tom Gores reportedly wasn’t impressed by any of the three finalists Troy Weaver sent his way.
There was some hope that Detroit could snag one of the more experienced head coaches this offseason, but after dropping to 5th in the lottery, that dream may have disappeared.
Add in that there are currently five openings (three of them are teams that are title contenders right now in Phoenix, Philly and Milwaukee), and the Pistons may have to settle for a first-time head coach. They are competing with teams with MVPs on them and the 5th pick in the draft is unlikely to turn a lot of heads.
One thing that could be turning heads soon is Cade Cunnningam’s jump shot. On a recent episode of the Woodward Pistons podcast, Cannen Cunningham (Cade’s brother) said that Cade could return with a reformed jump shot after rehabbing his shin.
He called the injury a “blessing in disguise” since it allowed Cade to spend the year working on his shooting mechanics and getting his leg right for the first time since before high school. The only part of Cade’s offensive game that is really lacking is the 3-point shot, so if he starts hitting those at a 40 percent clip as he did in college, the league is in trouble, because the rest of the offensive bag is already there.
Now it’s on Troy Weaver to go out and get him some help in the 2023 NBA Draft, trades and free agency.
Are the Detroit Pistons in a trade line?
It’s no secret that the Detroit Pistons may try to flip the 5th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft in exchange for a player that can help them now. Who that player might be is anyone’s guess, and the problem is that they may have competition.
According to John Hollinger of The Athletic (SUBSCRIPTION), both the Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets could have similar trade aspirations with the 3rd and 4th picks, respectively, which would put Detroit in a line for a star.
Portland is trying to win now with Damian Lillard, and Houston owes a top-4 protected pick to the Thunder (OKC is going to take over the league at some point) so has no reason to tank. This could leave the Pistons third in line for any type of draft trade with their 5th pick:
"“Yes, Detroit could theoretically trade its pick at No. 5, but look at the landscape. News flash: The picks at No. 3 and No. 4 are more desirable than the one at No. 5. With Portland and Houston likely looking to deal, it means the Pistons will be third at the trough when it comes to lottery-pick-for-star type trades; it’s tough to come up with one star player who could fit the bill for a trade like this right now, let alone three.”"
Will this lead to a quiet offseason for the Detroit Pistons? Hollinger thinks so, but fans are not going to be happy if Detroit does nothing more than add another teenager to the roster and runs it back, so expect some moves this offseason even if they aren’t for a star player.