The NBA trade deadline has mercifully arrived and the Detroit Pistons were busy.
After making separate trades to acquire the contracts of KJ Martin, Lindy Waters III and Josh Richardson (along with three second-round picks), the Pistons dealt for Dennis Schroder, who will reportedly be folded into the massive Jimmy Butler trade.
Let’s take a second to give props to Trajan Langdon, who has to be in the running for Executive of the Year.
He took over a 14-win team, had to hire a new head coach, remake a horrible roster on the fly and now has Detroit sitting in the 7th seed at the beginning of February with a legitimate chance to make the playoffs.
He added Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr., now Schroder and also gained four 2nd-round picks in the process.
Today was just the icing on what has been a very good start for Trajan Langdon as team president of the Pistons.
Grades for the Detroit Pistons’ trade deadline moves
The dust hasn’t even settled yet, so we’ll have to wait and see how many of these newly acquired players actually end up in Detroit.
The Pistons are over the roster limit, so two players are going to have to go.
Minor roster details aside, Trajan Langdon did what he set out to do, which on the surface looked like two conflicting tasks, which were to garner as many picks as possible with his cap space while adding a player who can help the Pistons win now without any long-term obligations.
In that context, he nailed it. The Pistons picked up three second-round picks and Dennis Schroder, a guy who can take some of the pressure off of Cade Cunningham and at least give you a piece of what they lost when Jaden Ivey got injured.
Ivey’s injury update left the door cracked for a return, but it’s unlikely, so Schroder can fill some of that role, particularly when Cade goes to the bench.
I’ve always liked Schroder, who can get hot and take over a game, as he has against the Pistons a few times in the past. This will be a boon to the second unit, which needs someone who can create with the ball.
Is Schroder a star? No. Does he make the Pistons a title contender? Of course not. But he serves a need and will help them make a run this season, and they didn’t have to give up much to get him (details pending).
Trajan Langdon has added the right kind of veteran talent, made a nice draft pick in Ron Holland II and has added draft assets to a team that needed them. This has been a solid start to his tenure and while his first trade deadline may not have been a home run, it was a clear win for the Pistons.
And the best part was that he did this without giving up a single asset. The Pistons finally seem to be headed in the right direction.