The Detroit Pistons are unlikely to have cap space this summer, so will have to make their moves via trade, which means some players have to go.
Detroit would have to waive and/or decline options on a multitude of rotation players to actually have cap space, which is why free-agent options like Austin Reaves aren’t realistic unless they are getting him as part of a trade.
In fact, you can fairly accurately guess exactly which Pistons are most likely to be traded, as it comes down to simple dollars and cents.
If the Pistons want a big name, two players at least are leaving
The Pistons have been attached to splashy names like Tyler Herro and Kyrie Irving, but that’s not happening without some shuffling of the roster.
For the Pistons to take on a player making $30 million or more, they would have to trade at least two of Caris LeVert, Isaiah Stewart and Duncan Robinson. The maximum they can match with any two of these players is $31 million, so anything above that will likely take another name.
This is why it’s almost certain that at least two players from the above group will not be on the Pistons next season, and it’s going to be a tough call.
Caris LeVert, sure, but Beef Stew?
I can’t imagine any Pistons fans would be too upset if the team had to trade Caris LeVert, whose $14.8 million expiring deal is the one Detroit would love to shed for salary matching purposes in a trade.
Unfortunately, no other team is going to look at those three players and say, “LeVert is the one we want!” as he is off the worst season of his career and wasn’t able to stay healthy for more than a couple games at a time.
Teams will target Isaiah Stewart, and the Pistons have reportedly shown willingness to deal him, but unlike LeVert, this one would hurt, as Stew is not only a fan favorite, but has been a big part of the cultural shift in Detroit.
Beef Stew was there in the trenches grinding when this team was winning 14 games, and it would be tough to see him go, especially since it does seem like the Pistons have somewhat squandered his talent by not using him more as a shooter.
Then you have Duncan Robinson, the team’s only good 3-point shooter. Swapping him out for Herro would certainly be an upgrade, but it would still leave the Pistons without shooting depth, so trading Robinson is a whack-a-mole move that causes a new problem to spring up just as they’ve smacked another one down.
The roster squeeze is a numbers game the Pistons can’t avoid, but they have to make sure that whoever they acquire is more than the sum of these parts, as two of their three most tradable contracts are important rotation players.
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