The Detroit Pistons didn’t waste time making moves on the first day of free agency.
They traded most of their cap space to the Nets for Joe Harris and two second-round picks, then flipped a second rounder to the Wizards for veteran point guard Monte Morris.
These were not the moves fans were dreaming of, but the Pistons clearly weren’t comfortable giving a massive contract to any of the free agents available on the market.
The Pistons would have had to go way over the top of $108 million to steal Cameron Johnson, as it became clear the Nets were going to match nearly any offer. Jerami Grant got more years and money than Detroit could have offered, and it’s pretty clear he wanted to stay in Portland anyway.
Some fans are understandably upset, but overpaying the wrong guy in free agency is a mistake the Pistons have made far too often in the past and is one of the reasons they had such an extensive rebuild in the first place.
The roster as it stands is heavy on guards and centers, so there will almost certainly be additional moves as the offseason progresses, but here is the current depth chart.
Pistons updated depth chart after trades for Harris and Morris
The Detroit Pistons were one of the worst shooting teams in the NBA last season, something they have definitely addressed with the additions of Harris and Morris, who are both excellent shooters.
- Cade Cunningham/Monte Morris/Killian Hayes
- Jaden Ivey/Alec Burks/Marcus Sasser
- Ausar Thompson/Joe Harris/Isaiah Livers
- Bojan Bogdanovic/Isaiah Stewart/Eugene Omoruyi
- Jalen Duren/James Wiseman/Marvin Bagley III
There are certainly debates to be had here, depending on how you view Bogdanovic, and the center position is far from settled.
The big loser of the night seems to be Killian Hayes, who will almost certainly be pushed to a third point-guard role after the addition of Morris, who has shot 39 percent from long range for his career.
There’s obviously a glut of guards and there won’t be minutes for all of Hayes, Sasser, Harris, Morris and Burks off the bench, so it’s possible we’ll see additional trades to turn one or more of these guys into a forward.
Detroit is likely not finished making moves, so stay tuned.