Trajan Langdon made it his priority to add shooting and veterans in his first offseason as president of the Detroit Pistons.
Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. aren't going to transform the worst team in the NBA into a contender, but their skillsets complement the young players, a novelty of team building that Troy Weaver never considered.
But Langdon knows his work is far from finished, so left himself some cap space and an open roster spot to work with in case an interesting player becomes available via free agency or trade.
I wouldn’t be shocked if the Pistons went into the season with both their cap space and roster spot, as the best trade opportunities will likely surface at the trade deadline, especially considering the Pistons have several veterans on short-term deals they could move.
They could also look for more of what they needed this offseason, which is shooting and veteran players, and one with ties to Trajan Langdon hit the market for the second time in recent weeks.
The New Orleans Pelicans have waived forward Matt Ryan, league sources told @hoopshype. Ryan shot 45.1 percent from 3-point range for the Pelicans last season. pic.twitter.com/YgLL7cXS1C
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) October 10, 2024
Detroit Pistons free agency: Matt Ryan
Trajan Langdon was GM of the New Orleans Pelicans when they acquired 27-year-old Matt Ryan last season.
Ryan ended up playing just 28 games for the Pels last season but put up good numbers, hitting over 45 percent of his long-range shots on 3.3 attempts per game.
Given Langdon’s familiarity with Ryan, there is a possibility the Pistons could claim him off waivers as an insurance policy against one of their other veteran shooters going down with injury.
The Pistons are in the driver’s seat if they want to make such a move, as they have cap space, an open roster spot and because they were the worst team in the NBA last season, they have first dibs on the waiver wire if they make a claim.
Ryan has only played in 63 games in his three-year NBA career but given he is 6-foot-6 and has elite 3-point accuracy, some team will take a chance.
It could be the Pistons, who could always use more shooting and Ryan would represent a low-risk flyer who wouldn’t cost Detroit much in terms of cap space and would have no long-term effect on their financial flexibility.
The Pistons are going to be mentioned as possibilities for every waiver wire free agent, as they are one of the few teams that can take on another player without penalty.