The Detroit Pistons aren’t in the NBA Finals, but they are certainly paying attention to how the two teams got there.
The Thunder and Pacers are small-market teams, but that will matter less and less under the current tax rules, as big-market teams are no longer able to flex their financial and geographic advantage to build super teams without paying a hefty price in terms of money, roster flexibility and depth.
The era of the “Big 3” may be winding down as teams realize you can’t win with three stars and a bunch of mediocrity behind them, ask the Phoenix Suns, who just missed the postseason with the most expensive roster in the league. You need quality depth whether you get it through the draft, free agency or trades.
Speaking of trades, both Finals teams made impact deals that helped propel them to where they are, and both did it without sacrificing a ton of quality depth, something the Pistons should be trying to emulate.
And both teams were patient, something we may see more of in the future.
Detroit Pistons: Building through internal development and patience
For the last several seasons, we’ve been waiting for the Thunder to use their copious draft assets and young talent to swing for a superstar, but so far, they haven’t.
With the assets they have, the Thunder could be players for literally any star that becomes available, yet they have remained patient, let their young guys improve and added role players instead.
The Pacers ran it back with almost the exact same team that made the Eastern Conference Finals last year, making it over that hump with continuity and chemistry that center Myles Turner recently referred to as the “power of friendship.”
This may increasingly be the strategy teams employ, as it is more difficult to absorb max and super-max deals in trades without sending out a ton of depth in return, something that Pistons fans who want Devin Booker are slowly realizing.
Chemistry also clearly matters, as these two Finals teams have demonstrated, so we may see teams less inclined to look for quick fixes and instead try to build a team they want to keep for the long term, not one they plan to trade away the first time a star name is on the trade market.
There will still be plenty of star players to change teams, but the Pistons are on track to be more like the Thunder and Pacers, a team that stays patient, allows their players to grow together and eventually gets over the hump with superior depth and chemistry.
Teams across all professional sports will copy what is working, and under this CBA, what is working so far is not trying to stack superstars at the top of your payroll, but to build a deep roster and to seek out value role players behind your top guys.
That could change as teams start to find loopholes in the tax rules, but for now, OKC and Indiana are models teams like the Pistons will try to follow, so it’s not hyperbole to say this NBA Finals will have a big impact on how the league does business.