Trajan Langdon was nearly flawless in his first season as team president of the Detroit Pistons. All the veterans he acquired were home runs, including Dennis Schroder at the trade deadline.
For the first time in years, the Pistons looked to add talent at the trade deadline to make a run at the playoffs, which is exactly what happened, with Schroder playing a big part.
He filled a need as a secondary ball handler and reliable crunch-time player who wasn’t afraid of big moments. He treated Pistons fans to plenty of them, and I was sad to see the news that he had signed with the Kings.
Schroder will always get a warm welcome from Pistons fans, as he was a part of a magical season that I will personally always remember as one of my favorites.
If the Schroder saga ended there, it would still be a success for the Pistons, who gave up nothing to get him, actually gained a second-round draft pick in the process, and can still get more from the Schroder deal.
Detroit Pistons rumors: Dennis Schroder sign-and-trade
It’s been widely reported that the Pistons are looking to orchestrate a sign-and-trade for Schroder, potentially taking back a player like Malik Monk.
The story took a twist when it was then reported that Kings were the team most interested in this deal, not the Pistons.
If that’s true, the Pistons could still create a player exception in a sign-and-trade without taking a player back, which now seems like the route they might take.
It would be just over $14 million, more than enough to add depth and hopefully more size off the bench in a trade or free agency. The Pistons would be in a position to take advantage of a team trying to cut money or sign some inexpensive depth in free agency.
This story is still fluid, so I wouldn’t be shocked if the Monk deal ends up happening, nor would I be surprised if the Pistons found another team to involve or just took the player exception.
Any of these options would either land the Pistons a player or give them the flexibility to add one, so the Dennis Schroder trade has a chance to keep on paying out for Detroit.
If the Pistons can add another player out of this deal, Trajan Langdon will have saved what looked like a disappointing offseason early on and put Detroit right back into the conversation in the Eastern Conference.
Stay tuned.