Detroit Pistons: 5 hot takes from Summer League 2023
Detroit Pistons: 5 hot takes from Summer League 2023
It’s time to trade Killian Hayes
When the Detroit Pistons drafted Marcus Sasser and traded for Monte Morris, the clock may have started ticking on the Killian Hayes’ era in Detroit.
Morris is likely to head into the season as the number two point guard on the depth chart, which pushes Hayes into a battle for the final guard spot. Sasser is more of a scoring combo guard than a point guard, but that doesn’t really matter, as that spot doesn’t have to go to a point guard.
Ausar Thompson's wild dunk and Monty's even wilder quote. light. Related Story
Detroit has a lot of players who can run the offense in Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Monte Morris, and it won’t be difficult to keep one of them on the floor at all times. Sasser struggled to shoot the ball in the first four Summer League games, but busted out for a league-high 40 spot in the final game, showing what he can bring that Hayes can’t, which is the ability to shoot.
It’s possible that Sasser will start the season in the G-League and Killian will just be the third point guard who will have to compete for bench minutes. But it’s also possible Detroit has seen enough from Sasser to put him in that spot, valuing his shooting more than Killian’s playmaking.
The Killian rumors are going to keep coming all offseason. Detroit is not going to get a big haul for him, but his salary and “potential” could be useful in a bigger trade. Of course, there’s also an argument for just letting him battle it out, and if he can earn minutes, great.
I’m probably leaning towards the latter, as the return for Killian isn’t worth it right now and he still has a chance to add to this team if he can ever figure it all out.