ROUNDTABLE: Who Do They Trade For? Part 2
The trade deadline is finally here, and with that, the team here at Pistons Fleet decided to come together again to look at some more trades the Pistons can make. While there might be no immediate value with this lost season, the goal is to improve the cohesion of the roster and capitalize on the value of the contracts of the veterans on the Pistons before the deadline ends. Here are three trades that we think encapsulate that, and perhaps one of these trades here gets close to being done just as we predicted with Muscala and Gallinari in the previous rendition of this Round Table.
February 8th 2024 | Pistons Fleet Team
Bryce - Quentin Grimes + Pistons Protected First
Unfortunately, the 2023-23 NBA season is all but over for the Detroit Pistons.
After a 7-43 start to the year, I would assume most people, fans, and those in the organization, are ready for the offseason and a fresh start next year.
While there are likely no improvements to be made that can turn this mess of a season around, moves still can be made to continue to build for the future.
Bojan Bogdanovic is one of the few non-core four players on the Pistons roster that currently hold any positive value. At 34 years old with another season left on his contract, there is probably no better time to ship Bojan off to a playoff-contending team looking to add some perimeter shooting and scoring.
Since trading for OG Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa from the Raptors in exchange for RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley the Knicks are 16-4 and currently the 4 seed in the east.
With Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, and company playing some of the best basketball in their careers, along with the Knicks being one of the stronger defensive teams in the entire NBA, a trade like this may make a lot of sense.
In his two years with the Detroit Pistons, Bojan has averaged over 20 PPG and over 40% from three both seasons. While his age and defense may be a concern, Bojan is a certified NBA-level scorer, and almost all teams can benefit from what he has to offer. ESPECIALLY a team that is adept at defending like the Knicks.
For the Pistons, this trade is all about building for the future.
The real appeal of this trade from the Pistons perspective is getting the rights to their first-round pick back by taking on Evan Fournier’s contract. Only appearing in 3 games for the Knicks so far this season, Fournier is owed around 18.8 million this season, with a club option for 19 million next.
Receiving the rights back to their pick allows the Pistons the flexibility to trade said pick this off-season, or in the years to come.
However, it is painfully obvious the Pistons roster is lacking shooting and/or defense at the wing positions. While the percentages may not show it at the moment, at the very least, the idea of Quentin Grimes fits that mold.
Young and on a very affordable contract, Grimes is a low-risk, decent reward bet for a Pistons roster lacking his skill set.
Matt - Lonzo Ball + Aleksej Pokuševski
One path the Pistons could take this trade deadline is to eat a contender’s salary for draft compensation as a third team in a deal.
This 3-team trade sees the Pistons eat the brutal Davis Bertans contract, allowing the 35-16 Thunder to reinforce the roster around their promising young core as they gear up for a playoff run.
Andre Drummond, who still leads the NBA in rebounds per possession, should help cover up OKC’s glaring rebounding woes as a high-level backup big.
Alec Burks’ fit in the rotation may be a little less seamless but his shot-making (and expiring contract) gives the Thunder added flexibility in the offseason and provides guard depth behind MVP hopeful Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Chicago receives a second-rounder and two expiring deals as they enter a rebuild I can only describe as ‘better late than never’ while moving Lonzo Ball, who despite a very promising 35-game start in Chicago has been sidelined for 2.5 seasons.
The Pistons obtain a likely-late 1st for their help, along with 22-year-old ‘project’ forward Aleksej Pokusevski who despite an inflatable tubeman-esque 7’ frame has flashed theoretical shooting, passing, and rim protection in addition to a pretty disgusting highlight tape before quickly falling behind the Thunder timeline. (Look up ‘griff1on1 poku’ on Twitter for an example of real NBA degeneracy) - Detroit may provide an environment for ‘Poku’ to obtain reps before hitting restricted free agency this off-season.
Detroit also obtains former 2nd overall pick Lonzo Ball for the last year of his contract with the chance to prove all has not been lost to the unfortunate injury bug that’s hijacked a chunk of Zo’s young NBA career.
Lastly, the departure of Alec Burks paves the way for the bench to fully lean in on the Marcus Sasser experience as Sasser continues to build upon an impressive rookie campaign highlighted by his rare shooting versatility and space creation chops.
Roshan - Jaden Springer + Draft Capital
The Pistons in the past week have been the most engaged team in trade talks, where the priority seems to be bringing in more players that fit the young, fundamental players on the Pistons. It began with dumping Bagley’s contract and getting two shooting bigs in Muscala and Gallinari. Next, they used an early second in this year’s NBA draft to bring in Simone Fontecchio whose movement shooting and quick decision-making can fit perfectly with the Pistons drive-heavy creators. Finally, at the time of this piece, the Pistons have also traded Monte Morris to recuperate a second-round pick and bring back Shake Milton and Troy Brown Jr.
With these new additions, players like Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic can become a bit more expendable for the team, especially since their contracts will end soon. For this reason, I believe the asset-deprived Pistons should do everything they can to capitalize on that.
In this trade, Burks gets sent to the 76ers for Jaden Springer, Robert Covington to match salaries and a second-round pick. While this may seem to be a lot for the veteran on an expiring contract, Burks has had an incredible shooting season and that coupled with a slow trade market makes him one of the premier lower-cost additions a contender can make. With the Pistons new added spacing and the idea that they move on from Killian Hayes this season, Jaden Springer could fit perfectly as a defensive guard off the bench, dynamically working off of Marcus Sasser’s or Ausar Thompson’s point-of-attack defense with his versatility in multiple defensive roles. Pistons get a second-round pick for their troubles and they get another veteran in Robert Covington who can provide help-side rim protection and floor spacing, two things that would benefit them on the court straight away even if Covington is not providing those skills to a high degree.
There it is! Let us know what you think of these trades on our Twitter @PistonsFleet.
If you are looking for more trade deadline news and updates, join us for our live space at 1 PM EST (2/8/2024) on our Twitter as well!