Do the Detroit Pistons have a plan for all of these open roster spots?
It's that time of year again, when the Detroit Pistons start paying players to go away, an annual tradition in the Troy Weaver era.
They already bought out Mike Muscala, the only decent backup center they've had all season, who was immediately picked up by the OKC Thunder.
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Yesterday it was Shake Milton's turn, as he too was bought out ahead of the March 1st deadline so that he could go play for a playoff team. He's not good enough for the Pistons, but a playoff team could use him. Got it.
ESPN Sources: Detroit Pistons G Shake Milton has agreed on a contract buyout, allowing him to meet the March 1 deadline for playoff eligibility. Milton landed with Pistons from Timberwolves at trade deadline. pic.twitter.com/zFZXfkfzWn
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 2, 2024
The Pistons now have two open roster spots, but does Troy Weaver have a plan to use them? Don't hold your breath.
The plan for Detroit Pistons' roster
The Pistons already missed one chance at an interesting defensive wing prospect (who needs those?) when the Milwaukee Bucks swooped in and signed Jaylin Galloway from the NBL to a two-way deal.
He might be good enough to add to one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, but certainly not good enough for the Detroit Pistons, who have clawed their way to the second-worst record in the NBA by half a game (RAISE THE BANNER!).
There is little on the buyout market at this point and the Pistons don't even use their own signed G-League players, so there is little chance they look to either of those places to fill their roster spots.
It's possible Troy Weaver just wanted to get a head start on his summer paperwork, as the Pistons only have eight players under contract for next season and will undergo another roster overhaul, unless, of course, Weaver re-signs James Wiseman and Malachi Flynn, an insane and terrifying possibility that you can't rule out unfortunately.
It's also possible that Weaver will just keep cutting players (watch your locker Troy Brown Jr.!) until Monty Williams no longer has enough bench players to put in an all-bench unit, which may be the only way to stop him.
So the Pistons are once again making generous donations to the rest of the league with no rhyme or reason, sticking with the only plan they've had in the Troy Weaver era, which is to "lose a lot and see what happens."
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