The NBA trade deadline has been an important date for the Detroit Pistons over the last several seasons and I wouldn’t expect that to change in 2023-24.
Detroit is trying to turn a corner next season, and will hopefully do so behind the return of Cade Cunningham and the additions of Ausar Thompson, Monte Morris, Joe Harris and Marcus Sasser.
But even if they do, the Pistons will have some tough decisions to make about their players on expiring deals, some of whom will be the focus of trade rumors.
The Pistons have six players on expiring contracts going into next season, and guys like Bojan Bogdanovic (who only has a partially guaranteed year after next season) and Alec Burks are sure to be trade targets for contending teams, especially if Detroit is buried by the trade deadline.
So after enduring two losing seasons filled with Jerami Grant and Bojan Bogdanovic trade rumors, we can expect the Detroit Pistons to once again be busy at the 2024 NBA trade deadline.
The trade deadline will be a great indication of how things are going; if the Detroit Pistons are bad, they will likely be sellers, and if they outperform expectations, could look to add a star.
Detroit Pistons: When is the 2024 NBA trade deadline?
The 2024 NBA trade deadline is on February 8th at 3PM ET.
It is going to be a tough balancing act for GM Troy Weaver, as he has to retain enough of his veterans to keep his team competitive, but can’t risk letting them walk for nothing if he thinks they are not going to re-sign.
It’s hard to imagine Bogdanovic making it past the trade deadline as a Piston, as that would mean fully guaranteeing the final year of his contract at $20 million or potentially buying him out to pay him to play for another team.
The first option lowers his value considerably, as it would give the team that trades for him less financial flexibility and in the second option, the Pistons get stuck with nothing.
We’re far more likely to see Alec Burks and Monte Morris back with the team, especially Morris, who is from Flint and wants to play for the Pistons.
But I think we can expect Bogdanovic, Joe Harris, Killian Hayes and James Wiseman to all be involved in trade rumors and it wouldn’t be surprising if all of them were shipped out at some point prior to the trade deadline.
The Pistons are in a tough spot, as they want to win, but can’t let these players walk for nothing, so will have some difficult decisions to make in February of next year.