The Pistons have put themselves into a tough position with their lack of substantial trade activity, and the expiration of Dennis Schroder's Traded Player Exception from last summer really emphasizes that point. In return for Schroder leaving to sign a bigger deal with the Kings last summer, the Pistons got an $8.7 million TPE that never amounted to much. It officially expired on July 7th with little return.
The Pistons wasted an asset by being conservative
TPEs can be a tough asset to maximize, since they can't be aggregated with bigger salaries to absorb a large contract. The Pistons would have only been able to acquire players making $8.7 million or less using their TPE, which eliminates a lot of the league's desirable trade targets. But Detroit's use of the TPE was still remarkably disappointing, as it only got them a pick swap in this year's draft from #28 to #21 in exchange for taking on Dario Saric's contract.
That swap sounds solid on paper, but was dulled by trading away three second-round picks (or just Isaiah Stewart, depending on how you view their trade activity) to move up a measly 4 spots to #17. Whatever clever value the Pistons got for moving up 7 spots using their TPE, they lost by moving Stewart just to slide up a few more spots.
On the other hand, there were plenty of trade targets who could have made the Pistons better last season (or right now) who were attainable with the TPE. Names that stand out include Quentin Grimes, Ayo Dosunmu or Jose Alvarado. All three could have added more ball-handling and shot creation in the backcourt next to Cade Cunningham, which could have made all the difference in the playoffs.
Detroit needs to take the next step and be aggressive
The Pistons are not being taken seriously as contenders around the league largely because they have remained so conservative, even after a historic 60-win season. Rather than being willing to part with assets to land meaningful upgrades, the Pistons continue to prioritize winning moves on the margins. Those are great to build a team's foundation, but taking the final step to title contention often requires sacrificing some future assets for current starpower.
If the Pistons wanted to make the best use of their TPE to acquire one of the players I listed earlier, they would have likely had to throw in some assets as well. But for a team that was clearly on a breathneck win pace by the trade deadline last season, that move should have been worth it. Giving up a future second-round pick or two to raise your playoff ceiling during a potentially deep run makes total sense when real title hopes are at stake.
If the Pistons want to pursue a championship in earnest, they need to be willing to use all their assets to improve - even if that means overpaying in their aggression at times.
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