Training camp battles may decide Pistons next moves

The Detroit Pistons will open training camp for the 2023-24 season on October 3rd and there will be plenty to watch.

The Pistons have few locks for the roster so far, and nothing is set in stone, not even the starting lineup.

Detroit has been mentioned in several trade rumors, most of them involving some combination of Marvin Bagley III, Killian Hayes, or Bojan Bogdanovic.

Bogdanovic clearly has the most value on the trade market, but so far no one has made an offer that interested the Detroit Pistons.

Considering their logjams at center and guard, Detroit will most likely trade a player from one of those groups if they end up making another move before training camp. Or they could just go into camp with the group they have and see if anyone stands out over the competition.

Training camp battles may decide Pistons next moves

Killian Hayes vs. Marcus Sasser

These two don’t really play the same position, but are likely to be battling for the last guard spot behind Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Monte Morris and Alec Burks. Detroit has enough playmakers that they don’t necessarily have to keep a point guard, which is probably why we’ve been seeing Killian Hayes name in trade rumors.

It’s likely a given that Monte Morris has the backup point guard spot locked up, and the Pistons traded up to get Marcus Sasser, so they are clearly high on him.

Entering his fourth year in the league, Hayes should stand out against a rookie (even though Sasser is older) and lock up that last guard spot in the rotation. If he doesn’t, and the Pistons haven’t traded him already, we could defintely see him dumped in a deal before rosters are set or sometime early in the season.

Marvin Bagley III vs. James Wiseman

These two are likely battling for the backup center spot, and a spot in the 10-man rotation overall, as Isaiah Stewart is also likely to see some time at the five. MBIII could end up playing some power forward as well, and given that he and Wiseman are both injury prone, Detroit doesn’t necessarily have to make a move here.

But it’s also entirely possible that one of these two players is going to be sitting on the bench a lot, an expensive luxury for a team that won 17 games last season. If they both come into training camp healthy and playing well, Detroit may just keep them both, but if one of them really stands out, it could cause the Pistons to be more aggressive looking for trades.

I still think Detroit will make a move, but they don’t have to do it right away and can wait and see if someone makes a strong case to stay.