Every year that the Detroit Pistons have been stuck in the Draft Lottery there has been reporting that the team was going to aggressively pursue winning the following season. That should raise red flags for most Pistons fans, as going after the bottom tier of the playoff bracket was what locked the franchise in NBA purgatory for so many years.
Yet whether the Pistons tried to get better and failed or, more likely, were simply trying to shape the narrative as they continued to stockpile young talent, to their credit they haven’t rushed things during their rebuild.
This summer the question came up again: how much would the Pistons prioritize winning this year vs building the best possible long-term core? Armed with the No. 5 pick (not the top pick they hoped for) and plenty of cap space, how did they approach the summer?
How did the Detroit Pistons do this offseason?
Let’s walk through each move that they made this offseason, grading the Pistons on their signings, hirings, trades and draft picks. We’ll use a scale where an “A” was an excellent move, a “B” was a move worth making, a “C” was questionable and a “D” was a clear mistake; we’ll leave “F” moves for franchise-damaging disasters.
With that in mind, how did the Pistons grade out? Let’s look at their Offseason Report Card in detail, starting with the best move they made this summer.
1. Drafted Ausar Thompson
Drafted Overtime Elite wing Ausar Thompson with the No. 5 in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Through much of the predraft process, it appeared that the two hyper-athletic twins from the new player development program Overtime Elite were going to be viewed very differently. Amen Thompson was always considered to be the better prospect, while his brother Ausar was supposed to be a tier below.
Yet as the NBA Draft drew closer, more and more draft analysts and reporters began to present an alternate message. Was it possible that two twin brothers with the same athletic gifts playing for the same program could actually have similar upsides?
To their credit, the Detroit Pistons followed through on that assessment, not letting Ausar fall past their pick at No. 5. The “younger” brother by about a minute, Ausar played as more of a wing for Overtime Elite while Amen ran the point. That allowed Ausar to develop as a cutter and catch-and-shoot player, skill development that will help to launch him into the league.
Ausar is 6-foot-6 with absolutely elite athleticism that gives him a very high floor as both a player and defender. The development of his ball skills and shooting will determine how high his ceiling is, but given the other options available it made perfect sense for the Pistons to take him at No. 5 overall.
Grade: A
2. Traded for Monte Morris
Traded a second-round pick for Washington Wizards point guard Monte Morris.
The Detroit Pistons let Cory Joseph walk in free agency this summer, opening up an obvious hole for a backup point guard who could help mentor Jaden Ivey and Killian Hayes. While there were a handful of veteran guards available in free agency, the Pistons rightfully identified a trade target that was a better option than those in free agency.
Monte Morris has established himself as one of the best backup point guards in the league and even spent the last two seasons as a low-end starter for the Denver Nuggets and Washington Wizards. He has plenty of experience playing alongside another ball-dominant player, be that Nikola Jokic or Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma.
That should help him fit seamlessly into lineups with Cade Cunningham or Jaden Ivey, helping to fill the rotational gaps and provide plus ball-handling for all 48 minutes. Morris doesn’t have a ton of on-ball juice, but he’s a career 39.2 percent shooter from deep and had a 5-to-1 assists-to-turnover ratio last season. Jaden Ivey didn’t even approach a 2-to-1 ratio as a rookie.
That makes Morris a valuable addition to this team as they look to improve their on-court and locker-room maturity. The best part? It cost the Pistons a lone second-round pick to add him. Detroit say the Wizards with a glut of point guards and swept in to acquire Morris at a discount that didn’t need to be applied, making this a slam dunk of a trade for the Pistons.
Grade: A
3. Hired Monty Williams
Signed Monty Williams to a 6-year, $78.5 million contract to be their head coach.
There are two ways to look at the massive contract handed to new head coach Monty Williams. It’s not just relatively lucrative; it’s the kind of deal that completely resets the coaching market. Is it wise to spend so much money on a head coach?
The one view suggests that this deal is problematic; Williams was just fired from a team for falling short in the playoffs and for feuding with players. Giving him such an expensive deal makes it extremely unlikely he will be fired for the next half-decade due to the dead money involved, especially since he has already indicated his comfort level sitting out one or more seasons to be with his family. If Williams does poorly, he’s likely to stick around for quite a while.
The other view, however, applauds the Pistons for using the rules of the CBA to their advantage. They can’t simply pay players extra money, but coach salaries are outside of the salary cap. If they identified Williams as the best available coach, paying him so much is technically only money out of the owner’s pocket. If he’s willing to spend, then he should do so.
Our grade falls more on the positive side of the ledger, as Williams has an incredibly solid track record of developing young talent. He is the kind of mature voice that young basketball players need in their life, and he will help the culture of the Pistons develop. If he isn’t the best tactical coach for the playoffs, he will help the Pistons reach that point with a better team than they otherwise would.
Grade: B+
4. Traded for Joe Harris
Traded Brooklyn Nets for Joe Harris and two second-round picks.
In trading for Monte Morris, the Detroit Pistons took advantage of their cap space to acquire a helpful veteran player for just a single second-round pick. In trading for Joe Harris, the Pistons used that cap space to acquire a helpful veteran player and two second-rounders. It was quite a nice little bit of business.
Harris makes significantly more money than Morris and is four years older, not to mention with a significant recent injury history. That’s why the Brooklyn Nets had to attach the picks to move his salary. Even so, the potential Harris has to open up the Pistons’ offense is substantial, and his salary will come off the books next summer.
Harris has shot at least 41.9 percent from 3-point range in each of the last six seasons, including leading the league in 3-point percentage twice. He’s one of the best shooters in the league, full-stop, and for a Detroit team with shaky shooters at point and trying to play two bigs at a time, having an elite shooter will really help open up space.
He will turn 32 years old next month, missed most of 2021-22 due to injury and is not the defender that he used to be, but he’s one of the league’s premier movement shooters and at 6’6″ has the size not to get completely done under like Seth Curry or Luke Kennard. If he stays healthy, this deal will look like an absolute steal.
Grade: B+
5. Extended Isaiah Stewart
Signed Isaiah Stewart to a 4-year, $64 million contract extension.
The Detroit Pistons were incredibly active in the 2020 NBA Draft, taking three players in the first 19 picks. With No. 7 pick Killian Hayes looking like a bust relative to players taken after him and Saddiq Bey now in Atlanta, the Pistons haven’t gotten everything out of that promising class that they hoped to.
Even so, their one clear win was drafting Washington big man Isaiah Stewart with the 16th overall pick. The 6-foot-8 big man has developed into a bruising interior player, scoring and rebounding inside and playing tough defense. He has some range as well, hitting 32.8 percent of his 3-pointers on decent volume.
Detroit elected to keep him around, agreeing to a four-year, $64 million contract extension. It’s a reasonable deal for Stewart in a vacuum, but there is one very important contextual factor: the Pistons can’t stop adding big men.
Steward is a part of a frontcourt that also includes Jalen Duren, James Wiseman, Marvin Bagley III, Isaiah Livers and Bojan Bogdanovic. That’s three lottery big men who can’t shoot, and a pair of stretch-4s. Where does an iffy shooter who doesn’t have the pure size of Wiseman or Duren but lacks the skill and shooting of Livers and Bogdanovic fit into this team?
The Pistons decided to kick that question down the road, and hopefully, when the time comes to answer it they have either moved a big man or two, or Stewart still has positive value to be moved on his contract. It’s a reasonable gamble to make, even if the roster fit is tight.
Grade: B
6. Drafted Marcus Sasser
Drafted Houston guard Marcus Sasser with the 25th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
The Detroit Pistons clearly wanted to invest in their backcourt this offseason. Prior to trading for Monte Morris, they went after former Houston Cougars guard Marcus Sasser, trading up from the 31st pick to land Sasser at 25.
The player himself seems like a reasonable pick, even if there were other players available higher on many draft boards. Sasser is an excellent defender against opposing point guards, although his 6-foot-1 size will make it hard for him to defend further up the lineup.
He is a solid shooter, but his limited playmaking makes it hard to play at point guard on offense; he’ll need to hone his off-ball cutting and shooting to find a role. Playing with a larger playmaking wing like Cade Cunningham could be the best fit for him.
The larger issue here is that the Pistons gave up two future second-round picks to move up from 31 to 25. Perhaps Sasser will turn out to be a significantly better player than someone available at 31, but that’s a costly transaction for Detroit. Could they have waited and taken Colby Jones or Andre Jackson Jr.? Or even seen if Sasser would fall a few more spots? It’s a big investment in a player who has some real fit concerns.
Grade: B-
Full offseason report card and final grade
How does the entire report card look all together? And what is the final grade for the Detroit Pistons’ offseason?
Drafted Ausar Thompson
Grade: A
Traded for Monte Morris
Grade: A
Hired Monty Williams
Grade: B+
Traded for Joe Harris
Grade: B+
Extended Isaiah Stewart
Grade: B
Drafted Marcus Sasser
Grade: B-
Overall Grade
There was real temptation for Detroit to push chips into the middle and try to make the playoffs this season. Perhaps they do try to make a run at the Play-In Tournament, but they didn’t seem to try hard to win right now.
Yet again, it appears that the Pistons chose not to rush things, but at the same time they also added some veteran pieces to help them grow up as a team. Their transition toward maturity as a team wasn’t as loud as the Houston Rockets, but it should help this group grow without sacrificing future cap space.
Monty Williams looks like an excellent choice to run the show, and Ausar Thompson is a special athlete. If Monte Morris and Joe Harris are healthy the offense can take a step forward, while standing pat on the current young core makes sense as they continue to grow. This was an excellent offseason for the Pistons.
Grade: A-