Detroit Pistons: Monty Williams’ signing signals end of Weaver’s bust era

It’s apparent that Troy Weaver loves reclamation projects. But based on the massive deal Monty Williams just signed, the Detroit Pistons are gearing up to compete now.

GM tendencies change depending on the state of the franchise. Win-now modes change how and what type of player teams should target. Even with the Pistons having the worst record in the NBA, the contract that Tom Gores offered to Monty Williams indicates that they believe the Pistons’ window is open. And with that, General Manager Troy Weaver must change the type of talent he has been acquiring since coming to Detroit.

Detroit Pistons: No more flyers on former high Draft picks

With each trade deadline and free agency that passes, it seems Troy Weaver always adds a former top draft pick or two that may have struggled, or flat out have not panned out. Weaver acquired Jahlil Okafor, Josh Jackson, and Frank Jackson. He continued this trend by trading for Dennis Smith Jr., Hamidou Diallo and Cory Joseph and adding Kevin Knox. Finally, at the eleventh hour of the last two trade deadlines, Weaver would trade for Marvin Bagley and James Wiseman, both of whom were former top-2 draft picks. On a floundering roster with no direction, there shouldn’t be much disagreement with taking flyers on such players. Their potential far outweighed the risk.

Many of these guys would become everyday players for the Detroit Pistons. Jackson, Diallo, Joseph, and Bagley all proved to have some upside but didn’t really work out. Weaver’s latest reclamation project, James Wiseman, is much more a swing for the fences prospect. Even if the Wiseman will require more time before it’s deemed successful or not, Weaver’s love for second chance players is apparent.

Regardless of Troy Weaver’s roster tendencies, Tom Gores’ recent moves conveyed a strong message to both the fans and the rest of the league.

Troy Weaver’s reclamation projects must become a thing of the past. By not only going out and getting the hottest coach in the NBA, but also immediately making him the highest paid head coach, Gores is relaying that our time of floundering is over. No longer are the Pistons attempting to locate young players who haven’t worked out. It is time to go out and acquire proven talent, rather than taking flyers on potential that has not yet surfaced. That’s not to say the Pistons won’t need to continue developing young talent, but now is the time to infuse the youth with All-Star caliber talent. Whether that’s accomplished via trades or free agency, Gores believes the Pistons’ window is officially opening.

Whether or not Troy Weaver is able to attract the level of talent needed to compete during the Pistons’ window is unknown. During his time with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Weaver showed his ability to identify young draft talent, but his only large acquisition, either via free agency or trade, was the Thunder trading Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis for Paul George. Weaver and co. did wind up signing Paul George that offseason, which is quite a feat being how small of a market OKC is. Will Weaver be able to shift gears from reclamation projects and bring in some elite level, proven talent? Monty Williams, himself, should be able to lend a hand in that area.