The Detroit Pistons are tied for the worst record in the league entering tonight's Superbowl of Misery against the Washington Wizards, which will be a new rock bottom for one of two franchises.
Injuries have certainly played a part in the Pistons' horrific start, but most of the players on the injured list are veterans on expiring deals, so it's not like they are part of the long-term plans anyway. Even if they were completely healthy, this is not likely a team that was going to contend for anything.
Which begs the question, what comes next? Detroit may have their young core in place, but have no long-term pieces around them, so Troy Weaver is going to have a lot of work to do to "restore" this roster and will again be nearly starting from scratch when it comes to role players.
Fans hoping that 2024 free agency will save the Pistons will probably be disappointed, as there aren't a lot of realistic options that fall into the "impact" category and most of the big names on the list will likely return to their current teams or stay far away from Detroit.
That leaves a big trade as the best route to improve the roster, but that too is plagued with challenges.
Who exactly are the Detroit Pistons going to trade?
Fans often scream for change in the form of trades, but fail to answer the obvious follow up question, which is what exactly are they going to trade?
The Pistons are not brimming with trade assets, as most of their veterans are currently or recently injured and they have no extra draft picks to toss in due to the one they owe the Knicks.
They could try to move a piece of their young core, but which one? Jaden Ivey hasn't played enough this season to really pique anyone's interest. Most fans would shudder at the idea of trading Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren or Ausar Thompson, so who does that leave? Isaiah Stewart? Killian Hayes?
Trading those guys, even in a package, is not going to net a player who is going to radically change this franchise. You could argue that addition by subtraction might work, as they could find a player who is a better complement to Cade or at least open up more defined roles for players like Marcus Sasser.
I'm sure the Pistons could move Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic at the deadline if they are healthy, but given their recent injuries and contract status, they aren't going to garner much on the trade market. So I'll ask again, what exactly is this team going to trade?
I'll wait for the answer while we look at the next problem.
The Pistons have a lack of viable trade partners
We're still relatively early in the season, so things can and will change before the 2024 trade deadline is upon us.
But right now, there aren't a lot of teams that look like viable trade partners for the Detroit Pistons. Detroit will likely have to target a losing team that has a player they want to trade in exchange for assets to improve their own roster. We've already talked about the lack of assets, but there is also a lack of teams.
Most of the bad teams are rebuilding just like the Pistons, so you can probably rule out teams like the Hornets, Spurs and Trail Blazers, who are lacking the type of players the Pistons need or wouldn't be willing to give them up. Detroit could try to swing a Jerami Grant reunion with Portland, but he'll be a hot commodity again and other teams may have more attractive offers.
The Wizards are a possiblity, but what exactly do they have that is going to help the Pistons? The three options really come down to the Bulls, Raptors and Jazz.
Detroit should run far away from any Zach LaVine trade, so hopefully won't go to Chicago looking for help. The Raptors have OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam, who could both help Detroit, but they are on expiring contracts (Anunoby has a player option he'll decline) so they would be risky without some guarantee they'd sign an extension to stay. Would you be willing to give up Jaden Ivey for an Anunoby rental? Me either.
The Jazz have Lauri Markkanen, who I would absolutely love to see in Detroit, but it's hard to see them giving up on him given his salary and improvement over the last few seasons. He's more likely to be a centerpiece to their rebuild, but is a possibility Detroit could explore.
I'm sure there are some under-the-radar players and teams, but right now, the pickings are slim and Detroit may not have the assets to get a big trade done anyway.
The Pistons may have to wait
We know things will change between now and next summer. Teams will fail to meet expectations, some will look to reconfigure and there will be stars available.
The Pistons may just have to be patient and wait for their chance to take action. They will have a ton of cap space again, especially if they move on from Bojan Bogdanovic, Alec Burks, Joe Harris, Killian Hayes et al.
They could just use that money to load up on available role players, and there are a few who could help them. They could also wait for the trade landscape to develop and use their cap space as a weapon to make a deal, though Troy Weaver hasn't used his cap space efficiently so far.
But there isn't a clear and obvious way to add talent to this roster without trading one of Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson or Jaden Ivey. The first three are likely untouchable, so trading Ivey may be their best bet, which is not a great option considering he is one of their "core" players and may not have as much trade value as people think.
The progress we were promised hasn't come this season, and it's not going to be easy for Troy Weaver to add talent to this roster, so internal improvement may be the only way it's going to happen.