FanPost

Roster Upgrades For The Pistons (Part 1 of 2)

Ever the GM, I’ve been thinking much about the offseason and who this team could realistically bring in to help it take that next step. Now, I say realistically to keep those who are wanting to see another scenario where the Pistons trade their 3rd string water boy and Tom Gores’ wadded up one-dollar bills he uses for Kleenex in exchange for Paul George and Jimmy Butler from thinking this is another article that posits either player ending up on this team. I really like both guys and obviously would take them on my team every day of the week and twice on Sunday, but we do not have the resources to entice either to come and play in Detroit. I also think it’s bad business to trade your star to another team within your division so it’d have to be a ridiculous offer Detroit does not have the assets to offer.

I’ll be doing these posts as a series. Part 1 of this series is trades. Part 2 is free agents. For looking at trades, there are a few here that involve who are perceived to be our best players. It’s not blowing up the team completely, but it is gaining a top player and potentially moving one of our own to do so. I definitely think Gores is committed to SVG for one more season and thus would not want a full rebuild, but instead a major shift in the makeup of the team. I’m talking one big name. I’ll go through 1) How it would work; 2) Why the teams involved would do it; and 3) How this new guy is a huge upgrade for the Pistons. Also, I did not match up the salaries exactly in the trades, but got them as close as possible (I couldn’t run these guys through ESPN’s trade machine on next year’s salaries) and there’s really only a few million left between the teams that would be easy to add a low-level guy or just pay the difference.

Trade #1: CJ McCollum

How it would work: Detroit gets CJ McCollum and Trevor Booker. Portland gets Marcus Morris and Brook Lopez. Brooklyn gets Reggie Jackson, Jon Leuer, Al-Farouq Aminu and Detroit’s 2017 1st round draft pick.

Why the teams involved would do it: Portland needs a frontcourt help desperately and better production out of the wing. I know they just traded for Nurkic, but Lopez does everything better, has playoff experience and he and Nurkic are both on the last year of their deals next season so they are not locked in long term. Portland then can decide at the end of the season who is their center. Plus they need more financial freedom and offensive production on the wing which Marcus fills for them perfectly. Brooklyn desperately needs a lottery pick and some help at the 1 with Germy being injured quite often. They absolutely need some lottery picks to possibly snatch any young talent first and foremost, so as long as we have a lottery pick this would be almost too good of an opportunity to pass up for Brooklyn. I know it may be a bit of stretch for Brooklyn to take Reggie, but they do need to reach that NBA payroll minimum every season and they can allow Reggie time to get his game back. Reggie is, also, under 20 mill every season for the remainder of his deal so for a team without a big money contract AND no immediate window for playoff success, they don’t have to worry about Reggie’s contract clogging up their books or press him back into action nor do they need him to be a superstar. On his end this becomes his team until someone with more skill takes it from him. Leuer immediately starts and is an upgrade over everyone in their frontcourt and Aminu gives them some youth to develop as well as provides defense on the wing. Detroit gets buckets with CJ McCollum. Even with Reggie at full health the team lacked a player who could take over games and stay consistent across an entire season. Detroit now has its alpha dog. Booker provides depth in the frontcourt and although his $9 million salary is high, it’s only for one season and Detroit needs to free up all the money it can for the offseason when Tobias Harris becomes a free agent.

How this new guy is a huge upgrade for the Pistons: CJ has proven whether he has the ball or not he is going to score. He is extremely unselfish and is always working to get himself and his teammates open. He gets in the paint with floaters and euro-steps, shoots above 40% on his threes, 90% on his free throws, and has an array of moves on and off ball to get open from anywhere on the court. In this scenario he’d play the 1 next to KCP. I know he played the 2 in Portland, but that’s only because of Damian Lillard. CJ ran the 1 when Lillard was on the bench and he even ran the show in college. Plus, he’s better with the ball in his hands initiating pick and roll and he is a leader who makes sure his voice is heard on the court and in the huddle getting his teammates fired up and in the right positions on offense. The only part I’m not sure about is if he’d be able to get to the line more often than he did in Portland (he’s averaging a career high 3.7 trips there this season). He doesn’t seem to initiate contact even though he gets in the paint. If SVG is still the coach and he still stresses his point guard to get to the rack and draw fouls, this may be an issue, but otherwise this guy gets buckets and would make KCP and Tobias’s jobs getting open a lot easier.

Trade #2 Brook Lopez

How it would work: Detroit gets Brook Lopez. Nets get Jon Leuer, Boban Marjanovic, Marcus Morris and Detroit’s 2017 1st Round Pick.

Why the teams involved would do it: Again, the Nets need lottery picks. Leuer’s deal gets smaller as it moves along, plus he’s an upgrade at the 4 for them, and Boban is there to give Brooklyn a center since they’re losing one. Marcus may just become their best player as soon as he lands in Brooklyn. Detroit is bringing in Lopez for his leadership, great all around skillset, and most importantly to push young Andre as he needs to know what he has been doing on the court ain’t cutting it and Detroit needs to know whether or not this young man is worth the money they’re paying him.

How this new guy is a huge upgrade for the Pistons: I do not know if Lopez should play the 4. I do not know if he would be willing to be a super 6th man. What I do know is he is clearly a better player and all around professional than Andre right now. Something has to be done about Dre’s development as his blackhole hook shot and hit or miss defense is making it more and more difficult to justify paying him the most money on the team. Why not bring in a guy who is not only going to push your young star in practice guarding him every day, but could possibly teach him a few of the tricks he has up his sleeve? Brook’s deal is large, but it’s only for one season. Oh and if it’s clear Brook is superior, then you already have him on your roster and it’s time to move on from Dre. Perhaps the team tries running a supersized lineup of Lopez and Drummond where Lopez functions as the 4 on offense, but the 5 on defense. No matter what, Lopez gives the team ultimate flexibility in their lineups and makes them more of a hassle for teams to guard with Brook’s all around offensive skillset. I admit I’m not sure Lopez himself would be willing to cooperate in this scenario, but if he were it would be a huge upgrade for the team and good reflection on Lopez’s willingness to win which would help him immensely in free agency the following season. Oh and since Brook doesn’t rebound a whole lot, Dre is free to do his thing there without having to worry about extra responsibilities.

Trade #3 Nikola Vucevic

How it would work: Detroit gets Nikola Vucevic. Orlando gets Boban Marjonvic and Marcus Morris and Detroit’s 2017 1st round pick.

Why the teams involved would do it: The Magic are in full rebuild and were looking to deal Vucevic at the trade deadline, but the offers were not rich enough. Boban becomes their primary backup center and Marcus starts right away at the 3 and provides much needed defense there. The 1st rounder is tough to let go of, but it’s going to be in the middle of the draft and the Magic want youth so it is a necessity. Detroit, again, gets another center to push Dre.

How this new guy is a huge upgrade for the Pistons: Vucevic becomes the Pistons 6th man while pushing Dre. Here you do not have to worry about Vecevic’s ego and salary demanding him be the man at center. He does not shoot threes, but he does everything else well on offense, and more importantly is an efficient scorer. This is important as the Pistons need guys who do not waste their shots. If you’re not familiar with Vucevic’s game check out this article. Again, this is a litmus test for Dre as many have begun to view Vucevic as a backup even though his defensive game has caught up with his offensive game. If it is clear that Dre’s backup is more skilled and outplaying him, then it’s time to move on. I want to make it clear here that I’m not advocating for the team to move on from Dre, but they need to bring in competition as right now the team has treated Dre like the man without him earning that title. They moved on from the Moose to give him the undisputed job at the 5, they’ve brought in frontcourt players who are much cheaper than him, SVG built his whole offense around he and Reggie, and they’ve made sure no one else operates within the restricted area as much as him. Now it’s time to get him to up his game. I come from the Bill Walsh school of team building in that competition brings out the makeup of your players. I think it would be best for Dre and the team to know just what his level of fight is when he is faced with a player that has the skill to take his job. Call it the Montana-Young method of player development.

Trade #4 Frank Ntilikina

How it would work: Detroit trades its 2017 1st rounder and any player or combination of players NOT named Andre Drummond, Reggie Jackson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, or Tobias Harris to either Minnesota or Dallas (they’ll probably end up with the 8th and 10th overall picks).

Why the teams involved would do it: Minnesota has to start finding veteran guys that fill in their holes and help them get to the playoffs rather than draft young guys who will take a while to develop. Between Kris Dunn, Zach Lavine, Wiggins, Deng, and the big KAT they’re set on the guys they’ve invested in for the long term. For Dallas, unless they would be able to draft an absolute superstar, Mark Cuban wants to bring in immediate impact players that help Dirk get back to the playoffs and Finals in his last years. Between Marcus, Leuer, Ish, and Boban there are plenty of guys that would fit into both of the lineups in Minnesota and Dallas without taking up much salary room or getting in the way of their stars. Detroit needs a young point guard as Reggie’s status (both with his on court play and the health of his knee) is very up in the air and needs to be addressed as soon as possible. Even if he returns to 2015-16 form, it is good to have a young guy push him every day and know he’s gotta earn his job.

How this new guy is a huge upgrade for the Pistons: Reggie’s defense and distributing are severely lacking. His game is predicated around having the ball in his hands and using his energy to get to the hoop, so he may never be either a good distributor nor a good defender as it requires a lot more work to add to what he’s been asked to do on this team. Ntilikina already comes in as a good pass-first point and a good defender. He also has shown during the under 18 Euros that his jump shot is coming along very well and has the length to get to the hoop with regularity. All he would need to do in his first year with the Pistons is handle the roll Ish did: keep the second unit flowing and on-point and play defense. Now Ish is a vet who’s done this for a while and knows how to, but Ntilikina offers upgrades in his length, his jump shooting, and his ability to play the 2 (not his best position, but he did it a lot in France last season and with a better shot he’ll be able to do it much better). Also, the team does not need to get rid of Ish necessarily (depends on what Dallas and Minnesota want) so he’d be able to learn from him as well and work on his jump shot playing alongside Ish in the second unit. Also a backcourt of Ish and Ntilikina sounds like defensive beast that opposing teams would have difficulty getting buckets against. And if you were wondering why no De’Aaron Fox or Dennis Smith Jr. here, I do not see them lasting past #7. I think Smith Jr. is way too similar to Reggie in his game and demeanor, so I wouldn’t take him anyway by then, but were Fox to slip then he’s the pick over Ntilikina because he’s a leader and a better defender than Ntilikina. Pistons will just have to wait for his offensive game to come along. In this case, also, the team would need to move Ish as Fox can’t play the 2 and you need to let Fox run the second unit unimpeded. Check out Ntilikina’s strengths and weaknesses if you’re not familiar with his game.



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