NBA trade rumors: Pistons trades could set up bigger moves
The Detroit Pistons struck first and second on the eve of the NBA trade deadline, moving Kevin Knox, the draft rights to Gabriele Procida and a 2024 second-round pick to Utah for Simone Fontecchio before trading Monte Morris to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Shake Milton, Troy Brown Jr. and a second-round pick.
These certainly were not blockbuster deals that are going to make the Pistons contenders, but they are the type of fringe moves we've been waiting for all season. I wrote about how the Pistons didn't need to make a huge splash, they just needed to win some deals on the fringes and add role players that better complement their core. This appears to have done that, but what did they give up in the process?
What did the Detroit Pistons lose in these trades?
The short answer is not much. Kevin Knox played okay for Detroit but was hardly part of their long-term plans, same with Gabriel Procida, who is still firmly in the project phase after being drafted in 2022.
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Losing Monte Morris won't hurt much, as he has barely played this season and Marcus Sasser has been great lately. I do feel bad for Morris, a Flint native who wanted to play in Detroit, but it's also possible that the Pistons will bring him back in free agency, so this could work out for both sides, as Morris will get a chance to contribute to a contender in a playoff run.
The big get for the Pistons was Fontecchio, a big wing who can shoot and is a nice fit with the young core. He's not an All-Star, but he's a solid rotation player who gives them a two-way wing that they desperately needed. If the Pistons can retain him on a reasonable deal, this will be a win for Troy Weaver.
But the moves left many fans wondering what comes next. Here are some possibilities.