The Detroit Pistons have had an underwhelming offseason so far.
After enduring a 17-win season, fans are being told once again to be patient, after Detroit used the cap space we’ve been hearing about all season to swing trades for Joe Harris and Monte Morris.
Fans are understandably upset, as these hardly seem like moves that are going to propel the Pistons into contention for a playoff spot next season.
These don’t look like the roster upgrades Troy Weaver talked about in his letter to fans, who are tired of hearing “wait until next year.” It’s like the old bar joke where the sign says “free beer tomorrow” when it is perpetually today, with that glass of suds always dangling on the horizon.
So I understand the frustration, as no one wants to see this team succeed more than me, but once I got past the initial resentment over these moves and looked at them logically, they started to make more sense.
Defending the Detroit Pistons’ offseason moves so far
#1: The big names weren’t coming
It became clear early on that some of the dream free-agent targets for the Detroit Pistons had no intention of leaving their teams. Harrison Barnes, Kyle Kuzma, Jerami Grant and Cameron Johnson all signed big deals to stay put and there was no indication they ever entertained doing anything else.
Fans seem to forget that these are human beings with sovereignty over where they work, not a pair of shoes you can buy if you just pay enough. There was no indication from any of these guys that Detroit was on their radar, that was all driven by speculation from media and fans.
It’s possible that Detroit may have been able to pry one of them away with the right offer, but what was it? Did you really want to pay $30 million a season for Cameron Johnson, a guy who averaged 15 points and four rebounds and only played 42 games last season? That is the exact type of move that got the Pistons into this mess to begin with.
I keep getting angry fans on social media telling me “Detroit should have done SOMETHING!” but failing to tell me what that something was. I’m sure they kicked the tires on all of these guys, saw the price tag, laughed and moved on. They didn’t even have enough cap space to sign Grant and it was clear that they would have had to go into uncomfortable territory for Johnson, and even then may have come up short.
So who exactly did the Detroit Pistons miss on? What big name wanted to come here? How much should the Pistons have overpaid to get a guy who may not have moved the needle much? I keep asking these questions and getting crickets in response. There wasn’t a deal for big name (and these aren’t even star players!) that would have been financially prudent. It just wasn’t happening so they pivoted to plan B.
Defending the Detroit Pistons’ offseason moves so far
#2: Troy Weaver is dedicated to not having bad long-term deals
In the past, the Pistons have tried to plug gaping holes with overpaid role players, which is one of the reasons why they haven’t won a playoff game since LeBron James still had a hairline.
One of the things Weaver has constantly talked about is not getting bogged down with long-term deals that hamper the team’s flexibility. While you can argue that he did exactly that when he signed Marvin Bagley III, it’s still not as bad as paying a role player (who played the same number of games as Bagley last season) $30 million a season.
You can also argue that if Weaver hadn’t taken shots on MBIII and Wiseman he could have had even more cap space and there is validity to that, especially if both of these guys bust out. But having more cap space wouldn’t have made a whole lot of difference in this case.
Teams like the Pistons don’t get a lot of shots at max guys, and signing the wrong one can be devastating for years to come. They clearly decided that none of these free agents were worth that risk, and I tend to agree, as there wasn’t a star player on the market that had any intention of coming to Detroit.
They could have signed a deal like one of the ones the Rockets did, bringing in players like Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks at a hefty cost, but chose not to and it’s easy to understand when you see the price tag.
Adding a highly-paid role player will make sense at some point, but right now is not that point in Weaver’s mind. Is he right? We’ll see, but I do appreciate that he is not trying to skip steps and add the wrong guy just to satisfy impatient fans.
The Pistons now have the flexibility to make a number of different moves (more on that later) and more importantly haven’t overpaid for the wrong guy as they have so many times in the past.
Defending the Detroit Pistons’ offseason moves so far
#3: Growth from within
Another cliche I am getting sick of hearing this offseason is how the Pistons are leaning into player development and showing faith in their young players by not making any moves. This definitely sounds like spin, especially when we all know that players don’t magically turn into All-Stars overnight and that development is not a linear path for everyone.
But this is the path the Pistons have chosen in their restoration, and to be honest, it’s probably the only way they are going to be good. If they don’t get huge leaps from their young guys, if Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren turn out to be busts, then it won’t matter that they didn’t sign Cameron Johnson.
They are relying on growth from their own guys, and if they get it, this team will eventually be good. If they don’t, they won’t, it’s that simple.
There wasn’t a free agent on the market who could turn this team around, that is going to have to happen from within and via trade.
Let’s face it, the Detroit Pistons have never been a free-agent destination and never will be. When they were at their best, they built through the draft and by making trades and nothing has changed.
The good news is that the Pistons are now in a position to improve their roster in the way that has historically worked best for them. By trading for talent.
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.
Defending the Detroit Pistons’ offseason moves so far
#5: The players they added are fits who fill needs
Troy Weaver hinted early on that the Pistons were not going to be making a big splash in free agency and he stuck to his word.
No one in their right mind would say that Joe Harris is a good bargain at $20 million, but it’s just for one season, that contract is very tradable, and even though he can’t defend, he’s one of the best 3-point shooters in league history, an area the Pistons needed to improve.
Contract aside, Harris is being brought in to be the 8th or 9th guy, and will give the Pistons another lights-out shooter to go along with Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks.
When you add in Monte Morris and Marcus Sasser, you now have five guys with a history of shooting around or above 40 percent from long range. So Detroit has addressed an area of weakness with Harris while picking up an expiring that could be hugely valuable at the trade deadline.
Unlike Harris, Monte Morris is still a very good player in his prime. He’s one of the better backup guards in the league, shoots 39 percent from 3-point range for his career and is a huge upgrade from Cory Joseph on both ends.
He gives them insurance against any injuries to Cade Cunningham or Jaden Ivey, provides more competition for Hayes and Sasser and gives Monty Williams a veteran hand he can trust.
Getting a guy like Morris for a second-round pick was a steal, and if the Pistons can extend him on a team-friendly deal, is the type of move that will help them long term.
These aren’t the most exciting names, and I get the disappointment, but at least Weaver didn’t tie the team to a long-term deal for a mediocre player, which is the exact thing that has killed the franchise in the past.