After being the worst team in the league two years in a row, it’s safe to say the Detroit Pistons need to make some changes.
We’ll have to wait and see who the ultimate decision maker is, as the Pistons are already looking for a new president to oversee basketball operations. This position needs to be filled quickly so that person can get to work revamping the roster.
The biggest decision might be whether to trade one or more of the young players for a proven talent, which is what happens in a three-step scenario that we could see unfold this summer.
Step 1: The Detroit Pistons trade Jalen Duren to the Pelicans for Brandon Ingram
The Pelicans are still alive in the play-in tournament, but will need to beat the Kings to claim the 8th seed, a challenge that will get tougher if Zion Williamson’s reported leg injury keeps him out of the game.
Either way, the Pels may have to trade Brandon Ingram this summer, as they will be paying more than $105 million for three players next season with raises for their young guys looming on the horizon. With just one year remaining on his deal, Ingram seems the most likely to go, especially if their peak with him and Zion is “play-in loser.”
Because he only has one year on his deal, Ingram might not cost as much in a trade. Would a young center like Jalen Duren be enough? The Pels will need a center after this season, as Jonas Valanciunas is on an expiring deal and Duren is the right age and more importantly, cost for New Orleans. He fits with their young core and would allow them to extend Trey Murphy III and move him into a more prominent role.
The Pistons need a tall bucker getter and Ingram is certainly that. He has flaws, namely his inability to stay healthy for a full season, and Detroit would immediately be under pressure to extend him to a big deal. But Ingram is the type of player the Pistons are missing (especially if he goes back to shooting more 3-pointers) and trading Duren would allow Detroit to upgrade their defense at center, which brings me to step two.
The best games of this NBA season are still ahead of us, and you can bet on them thanks to a guaranteed bonus from FanDuel! You'll get $150 in bonus bets, win or lose, if you sign up, deposit $10 or more and then bet $5 or more on any wager this week. Click this link to claim your guaranteed bonus from FanDuel today!
Step 2: Sign Nic Claxton in free agency
The Pistons need a defensive anchor in the middle and it’s possible that Duren will become that. It’s also possible that he is Andre Drummond 2.0, an elite rebounder who isn’t a great rim protector and doesn’t have a skilled offensive game. Duren can pass, but will he ever be able to shoot? To be an elite rim protector?
He’s still only 20, so this would be the Pistons selling high, but trading a young player is always risky, as Duren could figure it out and be an All-Star in a few seasons.
But Claxton is already what the Pistons need, which is a center (who is also still young) who can protect the rim. Claxton averages over two blocks per game, nearly three times more than Duren right now. He’s a better, more versatile defender in space and you don’t lose much on the boards.
Claxton will cost more now, but Duren’s second contract will be pricey too and there are still more questions that won’t be answered by the time he is due for an extension next summer.
Giving up on Duren would be tough, but the blow would be lessened by Claxton, who is a better fit for what the Pistons need right now even if his ceiling isn't as high.
Step 3: Bring in veteran role players/competition
The Pistons would still have a few roster spots to fill, though Ingram and Claxton would eat up the lion’s share of their cap space. They would also still have their first-round pick unless they had to give it up to get Ingram, which is possible, as it's hard to gauge the value of a guy on an expiring contract.
That leaves at least two spots to fill and they need to go to veteran role players who can contribute, fill in when there are injuries and even compete for starting spots.
Enough of this just handing minutes to young players without them being earned, it would be nice for the Pistons to bring in veterans who are ready and able to compete for minutes.
They would still need a backup center and a veteran guard to flank their young ones and guys like Andre Drummond and Malik Monk come to mind, players who can start if needed but have also shown they can be effective bench players.
If Detroit started next season with a rotation that looked something like this, it would at least be the starting point of a winner:
Cade Cunningham
Jaden Ivey
Ausar Thompson
Brandon Ingram
Nix Claxton
Add a bench of Sasser, Grimes, Tek and Stew and you at least have a better fitting team that is long, defensively versatile and has more players who can shoot.
Is this a championship team? No. But right now, the Pistons need to focus on getting players around Cunningham who are better fits, and this would be a start.