Troy Weaver season is upon us.
The Pistons general manager has been spinning and handing out since he became Detroit’s chief executive in 2020. He flipped the list completely in less than two years, completely freeing him from every player who was here when he succeeded him.
On Wednesday, just over 24 hours before the 2022 NBA Draft, Weaver swapped his first major addition as Detroit’s general manager.
Sources tell Athletic that the Pistons have exchanged veteran striker Jeremy Grant in Portland for the first round of 2025 in Milwaukee. Detroit will also replace choice 46 with Trailblazers’ 36th pick in Thursday’s draft, while regaining its own choice from Portland’s second round of 2025, sources said. Finally, the Pistons will receive a better choice from the second round of the Trail Blazers and Pelicans in 2026.
This deal opens up Ay-Ton free space for Pistons. (See what I did there?) Before the exchange, Detroit entered the season with approximately $ 30 million available, which was among the leaders in the league. The Pistons have approximately $ 43 million after the deal. According to sources, Detroit is expected to chase the great man of the Phoenix Suns and choose Deandre Ayton for 2018 No. 1 on the free market. The Pistons can also look for a shopping mall to take advantage of this space if Ayton stays in Phoenix or lands elsewhere.
However, Detroit should not use all the space that has gathered this off-season. It is possible that the Pistons will sit still, make bad contracts and raise more assets. The key here is the flexibility that the organization has not had in recent years. Blake Griffin’s dead money is gone, and Detroit has several intriguing young players highlighted by last year’s Cade Cunningham No. 1 pick, and there are several ways to build a suitable product in Motor City.
Now, to the return. Much was expected, and it was rumored, that Grant would return at least a lottery-level choice to the deal. This obviously did not happen here, and according to sources, this deal is the best offer the Pistons received for Grant, even dating back to the February trading deadline. Until the deadline for trading and the off-season, other potential deals were discussed, according to sources. But when it came to specific offers at the table, that was the best Detroit has received for the services of Grant, who is eligible for an extension this summer.
With the 2022 draft remaining one day, the Grant trade seems to signal that Keegan Murray of Iowa is seriously considering Detroit’s fifth selection, if available. However, Jaden Ivy of Purdue and Benedict Maturin of Arizona remain in the game. It is also possible that if the Pistons were able to take advantage of Ayton’s services during this off-season, third-year-old Isaiah Stewart or third-year striker Sadiq Bay could fill the gap with the powerful striker. Again, Detroit has created several options for itself to move forward.
It is always difficult to predict what Weaver’s next move will be, but the point is that the Pistons will not do anything dramatic on the trade front in the next 24 hours. However, given the abundance of cap space, Detroit may return to the late lottery if a player like, say, Memphis’s Jalen Duren drops out of the top 10. According to reports, Charlotte wants to move or choose number 13 or number 15 if the team wishes to accept Gordon Hayward’s contract. The Pistons have the means to complete such a deal if they choose.
At first glance, the trade of Grant, a veteran in his prime, signals that the Pistons will continue to play this recovery slowly. This is not necessarily the case. Adding someone like Ayton makes Detroit more competitive in the short term. In addition, the availability of limited trading space for a more proven player requires a corner corner.
For the first time in a long time, the Pistons have several streets they can walk to build something significant. Regaining flexibility and gaining intriguing prospects through the project and through trade were two of Weaver’s goals at the beginning of his term. In less than three years, the general manager did both.
Related reading
Harper: Ranking the Jeremy Grant trade to Portland
(Best photo by Jeremy Grant: Photo by Brian Sevald / NBAE via Getty Images)
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