As the Pistons open the new year on a Western road swing, fans ponder the trade market to get 2024 started with a new edition of Pistons Mailbag.
Darrell (Detroit): I sincerely hope the Pistons don’t have a knee-jerk reaction to the losing streak by trading current and future assets for a player who may add a handful of wins to the entire season and, if anything, worsen draft positioning in a season that’s already lost. Prior to the overhaul, the Pistons were mired in mediocrity for a dozen years. The team had too few wins to make the playoffs, not enough losses to get a top-five pick and little to no cap space to make a splash in free agency because it was anchored to massive, unmovable contracts. It’s better to stay the course and wait to get a Pascal Siakam, Miles Bridges or O.G Anunoby in free agency than to give up talent, draft picks and cap space just to salve the emotions of impatient fans who will only complain about the team once again miring itself in mediocrity. Stay the course.
Langlois: You’ve identified the danger for the Pistons in the moment. There is enormous pressure externally to do something – anything – to shake things up. The other 29 NBA teams know that. That doesn’t mean the Pistons can’t find a sensible trade that helps now and into the future, but it makes it less likely than under more favorable conditions that don’t involve going two months between wins. None of those teams is looking to do the Pistons any favors. They’re going to want to offer 50 cents on the dollar on the hunch that the Pistons are in a position where even a short-term bounce would hold appeal. Your admonition to “stay the course” makes perfect sense in a vacuum, but in the heat of the moment it’s another matter.
@haldane_chris: Any update on when Monte Morris will be back playing? Also, will his return move the needle at all on this team?
Langlois: The Pistons announced on Nov. 21 that Morris would be re-evaluated in six to eight weeks after undergoing a platement-rich plasma injection to hasten the healing process of the thigh injury he incurred while rehabilitating from the lower-back injury that afflicted him during training camp. We’re at the six-week mark now. The eight-week mark comes in the middle of the month. After missing as much time as he’s missed, I would expect at least another week, maybe more, once he’s cleared before he’s thrown into full practices. If he’s back before the end of January, that would be a good outcome given what he’s gone through. As far as moving the needle, to be determined. Regular readers will know I was convinced Morris was destined for a significant role, playing more than 20 minutes a game and likely quarterbacking the second unit. His penchant for avoiding turnovers and scoring efficiently while shooting above average from the 3-point line are qualities the Pistons would have done backflips to inject into the group to date. But it’s not easy getting thrown into the middle of an NBA season after being sidelined for months.
Langlois: Depends on the quality. Adding draft picks sounds great, but protected picks years down the road – while worthwhile in the big picture - are of marginal appeal at this point in time and certainly do nothing to immediately improve fortunes. Now, if somebody were offering unprotected first-round picks, that’s another matter. Same thing applies to players. The safest move for the Pistons might be to add players who add complementary skills – and I think it’s fair to say complementing Cade Cunningham is foremost in that consideration, so shooting is likely the priority – even if they don’t figure to be long-term solutions. The Pistons need players who can allow their young players to stay in their lanes to develop at a reasonable pace and give the front office an idea of a direction for future moves. That was the thinking behind hanging on to Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks and adding Monte Morris and Joe Harris. Bogdanovic’s return and Burks finding his stride again after a prolonged shooting slump coming off his forearm injury are leading to progress on the offensive end – the Pistons did score 138 in regulation Wednesday at Utah, after all – and the Pistons could use a few more pieces like them. Maybe Morris is the guy that nudges them forward just enough to turn losses like that one into wins.
@tayy.w/IG: Is there a realistic trade that helps this team in the near-term and what would we have to give up?
Langlois: Well, that’s the question. Pistons owner Tom Gores has made it clear he’s anticipating some changes based on his conversations with general manager Troy Weaver. What makes a trade realistic at this point? As I’ve written, it becomes a trickier proposition when you’re dealing from the position the Pistons now find themselves.
@ribs6116/IG: Do you think the Pistons will make a trade before the deadline?
Langlois: I would be greatly surprised if they don’t make at least one trade before the Feb. 8 trade deadline. But it takes two to make a deal happen.
@edguero/IG: What Pistons player do you see as most likely to be involved in a trade at this point?
Langlois: One of the veterans would be the safest pick. I don’t think we’re going to see Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren or Ausar Thompson going anywhere. The Pistons greatly value Isaiah Stewart’s toughness and leadership, so he’s probably sticking around. I don’t think Jaden Ivey is headed out, either, but you have to offer something to get something back. Maybe the Pistons entertain offers to address wing depth. After that, I don’t think anyone’s jaw would hit the floor if anybody else on the roster were to be traded.
@ck2_art: Who is blocking Marcus Sasser from getting meaningful minutes?
Langlois: He’s currently the fifth guard in a four-guard rotation that includes Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Alec Burks and Killian Hayes. If you’re projecting into the future, I think Sasser is higher in the pecking order. His natural shot-making ability and consistent energy hold real value and we know how highly he’s regarded by Troy Weaver and the personnel staff based on their aggressive move to trade back into the first round to specifically take him. Monty Williams has also been effusive in his praise of Sasser’s fearlessness and ability. But the Pistons, for obvious reasons, need to bank some wins. And, at this moment, they’re going to tie their fate to players with more experience than the rookie Sasser.
@Dyttocs: Is Gabriele Procida ready to lead the Pistons to the playoffs?
Langlois: Don’t know about that, but it will be interesting to see if the Pistons front office thinks after the season that he’s ready to come to the NBA. Procida, the 36th pick of the 2022 NBA draft, is a 21-year-old playing for Alba Berlin in the EuroLeague, the best competition outside the NBA in the world. He’s 6-foot-7 and extremely bouncy. He has a nice shooting form, though he’s hitting 3-pointers at only 31.3 percent this season while taking slightly more than half his shots from the arc. The Pistons would love to add an athletic wing player to the roster for next season and maybe that’s Procida or maybe it’s someone they’ll get with the approximately $40 million in cap space they’ll have. Procida is averaging 9.1 points a game for Alba and he’s started a few games and been in the rotation all season. His steals rate of 3.3 per 36 minutes raises the eyebrows.
@killextract/IG: Thoughts on Ausar’s future?
Langlois: Bright. He’ll need to be ready to work this summer to improve at the offensive end – perimeter shooting and ballhandling at the top of the list. But there’s a lot to work with there and the mental and emotional makeup is top-notch.