No team did more to alter their roster at the NBA trade deadline than the Detroit Pistons, who swapped out half of their team over two days.
Gone are Killian Hayes, Joe Harris, Monte Morris, Bojan Bogdanovic, Alec Burks and Danilo Gallinari. In are Simone Fontecchio, Quentin Grimes, Shake Milton, Troy Brown Jr., Evan Fournier and Malachi Flynn.
Tom Gores said there would be change, and though we can argue if these changes are for the better, we certainly can't argue that they made them, which makes perfect sense for the worst team in the league.
The question now is how Monty Williams will deploy his new team once they are all healthy and on the floor together. There are several options.
Detroit Pistons' depth chart #1
If I had to guess, I'd say that we will finally get a steady diet of the Core Four, something that should have happened a long time ago, as they have barely played together this season. So this is what I expect once Isaiah Stewart is back:
Cade Cunningham/Marcus Sasser/Shake Milton
Jaden Ivey/Quentin Grimes
Ausar Thompson/Troy Brown Jr.
Isaiah Stewart/Simone Fontecchio
Jalen Duren/Mike Muscala
You can argue whether Sasser is a point guard (he isn't) but we'll likely see Cunningham and Ivey staggered so that there is nearly always one of them on the floor. You can play Grimes all over the wing, same with Fontecchio, who will be used at both forward spots.
I think we'll see little of Milton or Brown Jr and that Stewart and Muscala will sometimes be flip-flopped. It's a much more balanced roster with defenders and shooters in both groups and more options for Monty Williams to mix and match with the guys off the bench.
We may not see this for a few more days at least, as Stewart is still out, but eventually, this seems like the structure Williams will likely build from.
But there are other options.
Detroit Pistons' depth chart #2
Some believe that Fontecchio and/or Grimes are starters and they might be right, as they were playing rotation minutes on teams that are much better than the Pistons. While Stewart is out, we'll likely see one of them in the starting lineup and my guess is that it is Fontecchio.
Cade Cunningham/Marcus Sasser/Shake Milton
Jaden Ivey/Quentin Grimes
Ausar Thompson/Troy Brown Jr.
Simone Fontecchio
Jalen Duren/Mike Muscala
We'll finally get to see what the Pistons' Core Four looks like with a real stretch four who is more of a scoring threat than Beef Stew. Some have questions about a Sasser/Grimes backcourt not having enough shot creation and that's a legitimate concern, but less so if Williams staggers his starting backcourt.
I like this starting five, as it is more dynamic offensively, has a floor spreader around the two guards with Ausar Thompson slashing, running and taking on the tough defensive assignment.
Detroit Pistons' depth chart #3
If the Pistons want to go big when Stewart gets back, they could push Ausar Thompson to the bench and run out a starting five that looks something like this:
Cade Cunningham/Marcus Sasser/Shake Milton
Jaden Ivey/Quentin Grimes
Simone Fontecchio/Ausar Thompson
Isaiah Stewart
Jalen Duren/Mike Muscala
One thing is clear: Even after all of these moves, the Pistons still need forward depth and they could still use a veteran point guard off the bench. Both needs must be addressed in the offseason.
Grimes and Fontecchio also offer positional versatility and can be deployed in several ways depending on what's needed. I'm sure we'll see plenty of three-guard lineups with combinations of Cunningham, Ivey, Grimes and Sasser, as Grimes can defend the small forward spot.
Williams can roll out defensive lineups with Ausar and Grimes, shooting lineups with three guards, Fontecchio and Muscala and generally has more options than he did, with better fits even if you want to argue that the overall talent level has decreased.
The Pistons will be running out a much different team, so this will be a reset for the season as they try to figure out how all of the new parts fit. Expect a lot of experimentation over the coming weeks.