The Pistons did a great job of building their team after missing out on their top free agency priority in Malik Beasley. Beasley was slated for a big contract from the Pistons after having a career year last season, but has gotten embroiled in a federal investigation. His loss definitely hurt their team shooting, but the Pistons smartly pivoted to establish a winning team.
Beasley's situation was too complicated to touch
Sadly for Beasley, his investigation has kept him off any NBA roster more than a quarter of the way into the season. The recent arrest of Heat player Terry Rozier only confirmed the wisdom of the Pistons' decision to move on from Beasley. Rozier was also similarly investigated for gambling-related charges, and is now unable to play for his team as he navigates legal proceedings.
After being unable to resign Beasley, the Pistons sought out shooting from other sources. They made a trade for Duncan Robinson that has worked out nicely so far. Robinson has been an excellent high-volume shooter for the Pistons this season. His increased offball movement compared to Beasley also brings an additional element of playmaking for other Pistons.
With their relative lack of shooting, the Pistons have relied on a strong defense to drive the team to wins. Coach JB Bickerstaff has done an incredible job of building on last season's defensive foundation to start the season at 19-5. Swapping out Beasley for Robinson has actually helped this effort, because Robinson has more size and brings more consistent effort on defense. Although neither are bonafide perimeter stoppers, Robinson's effort has given the Pistons a higher defensive floor.
There's no doubt that Malik Beasley played a key role on the Pistons last season. He had one of the best three-point shooting seasons of all time while demolishing the franchise records for threes in a season. Additionally, he was a key veteran leader in the locker room that contributed to a renewed swagger and confidence in Detroit.
The temptation to wait out Beasley's investigation must have been high for the Pistons. In some ways, it would've made sense to keep a roster spot open for Beasley or sign him anyways and allow him to play before the investigation escalated. But the disturbance caused by Rozier's case shows just how risky this course of action can be.
Regardless of what ends up happening with Beasley, the Pistons undeniably made the correct decision with the information they had. Acquiring Duncan Robinson has been a great success for the team and they have no regrets sitting in first place atop the Eastern Conference.