Pistons news: The abyss, injury games and tough questions

Tough questions for the Detroit Pistons that don’t have easy answers

Is Troy Weaver going to make it through this season?

Yes, the Detroit Pistons have had catastrophic injuries this season, but if the entire success on your team relies on Isaiah Livers and 34-year-old Bojan Bogdanovic staying healthy, maybe your roster just isn’t that good. It’s completely fair to ask what this team might look like if Weaver had used three offseason’s worth of cap space on actual players instead of salary dumps for second-round picks.

Weaver essentially spent $60 million in cap space and has Alec Burks, Monte Morris, Joe Harris and a bunch of second-round picks in 2026 to show for it. It’s hard to watch teams like Houston and Indiana, who used their cap space to acquire useful veterans and not wonder what Detroit might look like if they had done the same. Maybe these young guys would be learning to win games (as the young core is in Houston) or maybe even be competing for something meaningful, as the Pacers are in Indiana.

I have not been on the Fire Troy train this season, as there is some context that has to be taken into account, but it’s hard to watch this team’s lack of progress and not question the direction and approach. That eventually comes back to Weaver. I thought that he’d be given next summer to figure it out, but now I am not so sure.

Is there a way out of this hole?

This is where things can get bleak.

If you peruse the league for available stars or look at upcoming free agency, there is not a clear way to fix this roster. Detroit should have plenty of cap space and open roster spots again, but to spend on who exactly? OG Anunoby? (please) Pascal Siakam? (yikes). A big trade for an unhappy star on a bad team?

Even at full strength, it’s hard to envision this roster as a contender for anything other than a lottery pick, there are seven guys on expiring contracts, the core is still very young and there is no quick fix.