Is Troy Weaver playing chess while others want checkers?

The Detroit Pistons are looking to post their best record in years. But, in a puzzling off-season, is general manager Troy Weaver looking more to the future, while most people think about the present?

The Pistons entered the off-season with a sense of excitement among fans. Detroit had at least a top five pick in the draft, as well as $30 million in open salary cap space. They also had a number of tradable assets for Troy Weaver to do his usual wheeling-and-dealing.

However, with the draft and the first phase of free agency now complete, the general sense among fans is: Meh.

So far, all the Pistons have done is

• Get guard Monte Morris from the Wizards for a second-round draft choice.
• Get guard Joe Harris and two second-round picks for pretty much nothing.
• Trade a couple of second-rounders to move up and draft guard Marcus Sasser at 25.
• Pick up Alec Burks’ $10.5 million option for 2023-24 season
• Pick up Isaiah Livers’ $1.8 million option

Getting the absolute worst draft slot possible, drawing No. 5, did not put fans in a good mood going in. Nothing against Ausar Thompson, who could become a great player, it just kinda stinks that you have the worst record and four other teams draft ahead of you.

The fans feelings are, indeed, a very ‘Meh’ offseason.

No big swings for star free agents, no trades for multiple first rounders or big names. Just some swapping of second-rounders to help other teams make a salary dump and picking up some pretty good guards on a one-year rental basis.

And despite tons of rumors,  Bojan Bogdanovic is still with the team (not that it is a bad thing).

Will the Detroit Pistons be better next season? Of course, they won an NBA-worst 17 games for crying out loud. But is this a roster that will challenge the Milwaukee Bucks or Boston Celtics? Nah. It will probably be an uphill battle to pass the Atlanta Hawks or New York Knicks in the middle of the Eastern Conference pack.

And that may be on purpose.

Detroit Pistons and the 2024 NBA draft

In 2021, Weaver traded a future first-round pick in the deals that landed Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart. It was heavily protected, in that Detroit would have to win more games than  25 a year to be high enough in the standings for it to convey, That has not, obviously, happened, so the Pistons have kept their pick.

The protection for 2024 is 1 thru 18. In other words, if the Pistons have between the No. 1 and 18th pick in the draft, they keep the pick. If it is lower than 18, as of now (these things do change), their first round draft choice is sent to the New York Knicks.

This past season, the Miami Heat had the No. 18 pick in the draft with a record of 44-38. The Warriors lost a tiebreaker with Miami to end up 19th, as they also had a 44-38 regular season record.

So it appears 44-38 is kind of the baseline for the Pistons in terms of keeping the pick. If they do better than that, it is safe to assume their first-rounder is headed to Madison Square Garden.

And don’t you think general manager Troy Weaver realizes it?

Conspiracy theory: Detroit Pistons don’t want to get too good, too soon

The trades give the  Detroit Pistons some desperately needed shooting and they already had size with all their centers.

With the return of Cade Cunningham, Detroit should be improved – but by how much?

A 20-win improvement is great on paper but still leaves them at 37-45, on the fringe of the Play-in, if the East is down, but safely among the 18 worst records.

But what if Weaver had gone on a spending binge? Maybe outbid the Nets for Cameron Johnson, somehow get Deandre Ayton from Phoenix, gone after Michigan native Draymond Green?

Detroit would be a playoff contender, not a title possibility, but definitely among the best 12 records in the NBA. That means they would say goodbye to their first-round pick.

So maybe Weaver is playing chess, while everyone else insists he plays checkers and try to win now.

He could be looking at the long haul.

Morris and Harris are useful one-year rentals, helping a young team still learning how to win. Weaver can look at all the parts (which has lots of guards and centers) and see which ones should be part of their future core, and who needs to be found a new home.

Keeping their No. 1 draft pick helps the future. Besides maybe adding another young talent, the first-rounder could be a sweetener in a future big deal.

And thanks to the ‘Meh’ off-season, there is a good chance the Pistons get to keep their first-round pick to use as they see fit, at least for one more year.