Pistons 2023 offseason primer: Targets, outgoing free agents, trades, draft needs and more
Pistons 2023 offseason primer: Trades
Free agency might not be the best route for the Detroit Pistons to land an impact player this summer.
It has been reported that Detroit will “aggressively” pursue a trade with their 5th pick this offseason and could go in a number of directions with it.
They could also potentially use Bojan Bogdanovic and their 31st pick as trade bait to move up in the draft, as in this potential trade with the Dallas Mavericks.
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if the 5th pick is truly in play for a trade, the Pistons could package it to try and land an impact wing. The problem with that is the 5th pick in this draft is not all that valuable, and the Pistons don’t have another 1st-round pick to trade until 2029 because of their obligations to the Knicks.
But if the Pistons were willing to package one of their young players (Ivey) with Bogdanovic and the 5th pick, would that be enough to land Jaylen Brown? Would he even be worth that price?
There are guys like Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby, who would be immediate fits with the Pistons, but they too may be just out of Detroit’s reach when it comes to realistic trade assets, as they aren’t going to give up Ivey and the 5th for either of those guys.
This is also a problem with having a GM who is under immense pressure to win and save his job. Would Troy Weaver be willing to overpay in a trade to get a guy who can help them win next season? He has a tough job ahead of him, as Detroit is probably just shy of the assets they need to land a star and don’t want to give up too much for a guy who is borderline.