Possible buy-low target for the Detroit Pistons this season

The Detroit Pistons will look to improve their roster this season and have a number of ways to do it.

They have any open roster spot to sign players outright but are more likely to make a trade at some point, as they have up to seven expiring contracts and not all of them are part of the future plans.

They could still use more depth at forward and could use a 6-foot-9 defender who can knock down 3-point shots. Who couldn’t?

Those types of players aren’t easy to come by, so the Detroit Pistons may have to take a risk on an unproven player who potentially has that skillset.

There may be one available on the Memphis Grizzlies.

Ziaire Williams could be a buy-low target for the Detroit Pistons

The Memphis Grizzlies traded for Ziaire Williams’ draft rights in the 2021 NBA Draft and so far it has blown up in their faces as the New Orleans Pelicans ended up with Trey Murphy III in the swap, a player who has been way better than Williams.

But this is a guy who just turned 22 years old and hasn’t gotten much chance on a loaded Grizzlies team that has been trying to win titles, not develop raw talent. Williams has only appeared in 99 games in two seasons, mostly in mop-up duty.

Memphis will be going for it again this season, so you have to wonder how Williams fits in, even though he has had a promising preseason so far:

I don’t necessarily agree that Memphis is deep at the wing, but Williams is an interesting target for any team that needs forward depth, as he is 6-foot-8, can play on the wing, has flashed defensive upside and his outside shooting has improved.

He may just be a player who needs more opportunity, which he could likely get on the Detroit Pistons. He only has a team option left on his contract after this season, so any team that trades for him would be in the driver’s seat to keep him or let him go penalty-free if things don’t work out.

The challenge is that the Pistons don’t really have a contract that matches what the Grizzlies need, so anything like this would have to wait until the trade deadline when team needs are clearer.

If the Pistons don’t envision Alec Burks as part of the long-term plans, he’s a guy who might interest Memphis as a bench shooter and if Detroit could get a young forward with upside, it might be worth the gamble.

For now the Grizzlies and Pistons appear content with what they have, but Ziaire Williams is a name to watch this season, especially if he is not a big part of the rotation early on.