Fans of the Detroit Pistons left the first night of free agency underwhelmed, as Trajan Langdon and co. only signed Caris LeVert, who is a questionable fit even if he is a solid veteran who can get buckets.
The offseason was complicated by the news that Malik Beasley is under federal investigation, and even though he’s not been charged with anything, the Pistons couldn't risk making him the centerpiece of their offseason.
Instead, the Pistons watched some of their top options get plucked off the board early, missed out on Nickeil Alexander-Walker for some reason, and had to settle for LeVert, who clearly was not their first choice.
What made things worse is that the Kings swooped in a signed free agent Dennis Schroder, so the Pistons are now without over 600 made 3-pointers from last season when you combined Beasley, Schroder and Tim Hardaway. Jr., who has not yet signed anywhere and could be more likely to return now that the Pistons have next to zero shooting.
There could be a silver lining coming, as Jake Fischer reported that since the Pistons have Bird rights on Schroder, they could turn his loss into a sign-and-trade that might bring back a useful rotation player, maybe even a good one.
Dennis Schroder sign-and-trade details could be huge for the Pistons
With a thin free-agent group, getting something back for Schroder in a sign-and-trade would be ideal for the Pistons, as there really isn’t a ton left on the free-agent market.
Fischer suggested the Pistons could bring back Malik Monk in the deal, which would help offset the loss of their three free agents, though Monk has question marks of his own.
If you just look at the counting stats of 17 points per game to go with 5.6 assists and 3.3 rebounds, you might think Monk a nice upgrade, as he can get buckets and create for others.
But he was very inefficient this season, hitting just 43 percent of his shots overall and 32 percent of his 3-pointers. Much like LeVert, Monk is not a real floor spacer and is more of a guy who likes to operate with the ball in his hands. Do the Pistons really need another one of those?
Add that Monk is set to make $18-21 million over the next three seasons and you have to wonder if the Pistons would be better off looking elsewhere, as that is a steep commitment in years and money for an inefficient shooting guard who would be a disaster defensively with Jaden Ivey.
I’d rather the Pistons take a shot at Keon Ellis, who is bigger, far cheaper and a better 3-point shooter and defender.
I’d also be interested in Keegan Murray if the Kings were willing to part with him, as he too is a far better fit than Monk.