We are nearing the end of July, and if I had to give a grade to the Detroit Pistons for their offseason, it would probably have to be an incomplete.
While the Pistons have accomplished some of their goals, they still have outstanding business and some glaring needs.
The Pistons didn't get a second scorer or improve their ball handling
The Pistons struck out in their many bids to land Cade Cunningham a second scorer, but I find it hard to blame Trajan Langdon given the options available, which were slim.
Overpaying for someone just to make a move is not the path to sustainable success, so while the Pistons didn't get Cunningham the help he's been looking for since he joined the NBA, they didn't do anything stupid that hurt the long-term flexibility.
Detroit's lack of viable ball handlers was exposed in the playoffs, which is another thing they didn't address, though they are hoping rookie Ebuka Okorie can chip in. That's a big ask for a rookie thrown onto a team looking to make a deep playoff run, but Detroit is also counting on improvement from Ausar Thompson and Daniss Jenkins in this area.
And as much as I know people don't want to hear this, the Pistons are much better positioned to make a move at the trade deadline, as they will have more tradable contracts than they do now and the price of some of their targets may have come down.
The Pistons definitely improved their 3-point shooting and I'd give decent marks to all of the moves that they made, but they'll be judged by the moves they didn't make. It does still feel like there is a hole where a second scorer should be, so until the Pistons get one or someone steps into that role, this grade feels incomplete.
The Jalen Duren drama is marring the offseason
This offseason might be viewed differently if the Pistons had been able to navigate the Duren contract negotiations without all of the challenges.
I get why both sides are holding out, as Duren thinks he's worth more as a 22-year-old All-NBA center, and the Pistons are trying to be cautious in the apron era where every penny matters to teambuilding.
But as of right now, the Pistons have a giant hole at center and will until this deal gets finished. They have few other options left at this point, so it's really just come down to a staring match that will make it impossible to accurately judge the Pistons' offseason until someone blinks.
It's not satisfying to hang a big INCOMPLETE sign on the Pistons' offseason, but that's what it is, as they still have outstanding business to take care of.
Add us as a preferred source on Google