Defending the Detroit Pistons’ offseason moves so far

Defending the Detroit Pistons’ offseason moves so far

#4: Kicking the can

One angry fan on Twitter told me that Troy Weaver was running a Ponzi scheme, which actually made me chuckle a bit, as he’s not totally wrong. Instead of using new investments to pay off old debts, Weaver is using a surplus of good will and patience from the fans to pay off his offseason debts, as we keep getting told “wait until next year” and the “next free-agent group is way better.”

Here’s the thing, next year’s free-agent class is better, but who cares? Many of the top guys will have (or have already) signed new deals with their teams by then, and we’ve already established that Detroit would have to overpay to get anyone to come to the Motor City.

But that doesn’t mean the Pistons won’t get their star.

Detroit now has around $67 million in expiring contracts (that could change) heading into next season, most of which are very tradable. No, I wouldn’t expect Detroit to head into next offseason with $60 million and splash out on the biggest free agent available, but they could definitely use that money to trade for a player.

They have the contracts to match a big salary, so if/when a star player becomes available, Detroit will have the means to get him. Will Toronto eventually move on from Pascal Siakam? What about Jaylen Brown in Boston?

I’m not dangling the free-agent carrot, as I don’t think Detroit has any leverage in free agency, but they can make trades, extend players and that is probably their best chance to land a star. Fans are tired of being told to be patient, but being patient may eventually get them a better player.

Of course, financial flexibility only matters if you do something with it, so this one is pending. If Weaver just keeps collecting dead assets and future money without ever turning it into a player, his seat will not only be hot, it will be located somewhere other than Detroit.