The Detroit Pistons are the worst team in the NBA again while many of their veterans watch from the bench.
Bojan Bogdanovic hasn't played since last March, Monte Morris hasn't played at all and Joe Harris played just seven games before he joined the ranks of the injured. So that is $60 million in cap space sitting on the Pistons' bench.
It's not as if these three veterans were going to make the Pistons into a title contender, but we'll never know how they might have helped the team progress, as we probably won't ever see them all play at the same time.
Even though they are injured, Mike Scotto of HoopsHype still listed all three as possible trade candidates for the Pistons, who will almost certainly start unloading their stockpile of expiring contracts at some point before the trade deadline.
Last season, the big debate was whether the Pistons should trade Bojan Bogdanovic. Those who thought they should, worried about this exact thing happening, as Bogdanovic has no value if he is hurt and he's been hurt for a while.
I admittedly wanted the Pistons to keep him instead of accepting a lowball offer, as Bogdanovic is more valuable (if healthy) than one late first-round pick. I stand by that, as I wanted this team to win and Bogdanovic was more likely to contribute to that.
But after a recent report, that may have been a huge mistake for the Detroit Pistons.
The Detroit Pistons reportedly passed on trade for Bojan Bogdanovic
Trading Bojan Bogdanovic for one first-round pick might not have been smart, but how about two?
According to Scotto:
"The Pistons passed on trading Bogdanovic for two first-round picks from a contender last season, league sources told HoopsHype."
What?!? I am not sure I totally buy this given that the Pistons were reportedly holding out for one first-rounder and not getting any offers. So the idea that they turned down two, regardless of where they were in the first round, seems somewhat unlikely.
If so, Troy Weaver needs to be fired right now, as the main reason the Pistons can't make a move for an impact player is that they still owe a first-round pick to the Knicks, so can only trade one until that one conveys (which it may never the way things are going) or falls within the protections just before the draft.
As it stands, the Pistons don't have much in the way of trade assets, especially if Bojan doesn't come back to full strength, as they don't have any extra draft picks to sweeten the pot. Even a late first-rounder in the 2024 draft would allow the Pistons to include two first-round picks in a trade instead of one.
Given that Bogdanovic has not played this season, this now seems like a devastating miss for the Pistons.