Troy Weaver didn’t have a lot of highlights from his time as GM of the Detroit Pistons.
But one of them came last season when he traded Kevin Knox and a second-round pick for Simone Fontecchio.
Fontecchio didn’t even join the NBA until his was 27 but has improved every season since, including a nice 16-game run with the Pistons last season where he averaged over 15 points per game while shooting 43 percent from long range.
It was enough to get him a new contract in Detroit, which looks like a great value for a guy who can defend and knocks down 3-point shots at a high rate.
It was one of the only buy-low moves by Weaver that actually worked out, and now Trajan Langdon might have a chance to do it again with a player he is familiar with.
Sharpshooting wing Matt Ryan was recently waived by Langdon’s old team the New Orleans Pelicans and will be a free agent if he clears waivers:
Sources: The New Orleans Pelicans are waiving wing shooter Matt Ryan. Ryan averaged 5.4 points and shot 45.1 percent from 3-point range in 13 minutes a night over 28 games for Pelicans last season. pic.twitter.com/gbc2bZCRkK
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 23, 2024
Ryan only played 28 games for the Pels last season, but knocked down over 45 percent of his 3-point shots as a 6-foot-6 wing.
Should the Detroit Pistons take a flyer on another free-agent shooter?
Detroit Pistons free agency: A case for Matt Ryan
Langdon obviously prioritized shooting this offseason when he added Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr.
The Pistons have long been one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league, so it makes sense to try and get more spacing around Cade Cunningham.
If Detroit wants to stockpile shooters, then a minimum one-year deal for Ryan might be a worthy investment, as you can never have too much shooting and Ryan can shoot it. The Pistons don’t have a particular need for another small forward, but some other team might, and if Ryan continues to shoot at this rate, Detroit could potentially flip a lowball contract for a draft asset at the deadline.
There’s also a possibility that Ryan is a late bloomer like Simone Fontecchio who could evolve into a solid rotation player on a value deal in the right context.
It would be a small gamble, as the Pistons have roster spots and more than enough cap space to take a flyer on Ryan.
Trajan Langdon is well familiar with his work, so if he was impressed by Ryan’s time in New Orleans, then we could see him en route to Detroit.