Detroit Pistons: Weaver’s free-agent strategy may disappoint fans
After suffering through a 17-win season, fans of the Detroit Pistons are ready for things to change.
Detroit took the first steps towards that goal by hiring one of the most coveted head coaches on the market and signing him to a league-record deal. They added two first-round picks to the roster in Ausar Thompson and Marcus Sasser, players who should help improve their defense right away.
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Now the Pistons turn to free agency, and they have already been busy, picking up team options on Alec Burks, Isaiah Livers and Eugene Omoruyi, who was somewhat surprising.
After picking up those options, the Pistons will have around $28 million in cap space to spend this summer, and fans are dreaming of bringing another big name to Detroit to complement their impressive young core of talent.
But they may have to wait.
Detroit Pistons: Weaver’s free-agent strategy may disappoint fans
Fans of the Pistons have been talking nonstop about which free-agent acquisition would be best, with names like Cameron Johnson, Jerami Grant, Kyle Kuzma and Harrison Barnes among those discussed.
The idea is that adding the right complementary starter can help push this team to the next level and make them competitive in the Eastern Conference.
But last Friday, Troy Weaver was asked specifically about free agency in a Q&A and tried to downplay its important to the Detroit Pistons:
"“How we fill out the rest of it in free agency, whatnot, is not pressing right now. Because I think you can add and subtract from some of these young guys growing into becoming who they are. So we’re going to be careful with that before we bring in guys that can kind of deter us from really finding out who these guys are.”"
This could all be posturing of course, but this doesn’t sound like a guy who is getting ready to make a huge move in free agency. That doesn’t mean the Detroit Pistons won’t make a big addition this summer, but they may choose a different way to do it.
There are definitely pros and cons to Detroit not making a splashy move in free agency.