It's time for the Pistons to cut McGruder/Boeheim and sign two of the top G-League Players

In Troy we trust. That's a phrase many Pistons fans have used since Troy Weaver took the Pistons GM job in the spring of 2020. Frankly he's earned this fanbases trust with the incredible and complete transformation of the roster from a mismatched mess into a team with a strong young core that looks to have a very bright future ahead. Really the only complaint you hear/read about Troy is that he bypassed Tyrese Haliburton to choose Killian Hayes. A mistake for sure, but with the way Killian has been playing the past month perhaps not as glaring as once thought.

The only other issue i have is with some of his roster management decisions. As anyone who follows me on Twitter or has ready my posts here knows I am not a big fan of Rodney McGruder taking up a roster spot. I understand he is a good mentor to our young players and a great teammate but IMO a rebuilding team should not waste a roster spot on a vet who does not contribute on the court. I'd much rather see that spot given to a promising young player they can develop in the G league when he is not not needed on the main roster. I have my doubts McGruder would be able to find a spot on another NBA roster if he was not with the Pistons. If he couldn't find a new home Detroit could always bring him back as some type of assistant coach where his mentoring skills would still have impact without taking up a valuable roster spot.

Then there is the issue of Weaver giving his good friend Jim Boeheims son Buddy one of our two- way roster spots. IMO Boeheim is not an NBA prospect and could of easily been signed to a G-League deal with the Cruise instead. Even when the Pistons have been shorthanded Boeheim has not been recalled to the main roster. Being avaialble (and good enough) to be called up due to injures is one of the main reasons 2 way spots were created.

Now is the time to cut the dead weight and fill those roster spots with a couple top G players that can both be developed and fill in if/when injuries hit. In less then a week the unofficial trade deadline kicks in as players who were signed during the offseason will be eligible to be traded. There are going to be uneven trades where teams will need to sign players to get their roster back up to 14/15 players. It's time to strike now while we can have our pick of the best the G Legaue has to offer.

The two G League players that caught my eye are PG Sharife Cooper and C Jay Huff.

The 21 year old Sharife Cooper was a 2nd round pick of the Hawks in 2021 and played last season on a two way contract with ATL. With Cade likely facing season ending surgery the Pistons could use some depth at the PG spot. Coopers shooting #'s in the G league are off the chart. 49% on FGS, 44% on 3PFG's on 6 attempts per game, Since we still have all our MLE avaialbe we could give him a 3 year deal starting at just over the minimum with team options for the mimimum (or slightly above) in years 2 and 3. Signing Cooper now would give the Pistons an in house replacement if Cojo were to be traded later this season.

The 7'1" 25 year old Jay Huff went undrafted out of Virginia in 2021. He did play 5 game with the Lakers last year. Huff has been a shot blocking machine in the G League (averaging 3.7 per game) and is hitting over 41% of his 3PT attempts. He would give the Pistons some big man depth since the team does not seem to have any plans on playing Noel and risking injury to him. I'd sign him to a 2 way contract with the idea of converting it to a standard deal (similar to the one i suggested for Copper) if/when a roster spot opens up.

The Perfect Trade for the Pistons?

As the Pistons close in on the halfway point of year 3 in the Troy Weaver lead restoration, the results in the win/loss column have not been good, but the collection of young talent he has assembled is impressive. With Killian Hayes looking likes he's turned the corner on becoming a productive NBA player, Weaver has pretty much went 6 for 6 in the draft since taking over. Detroit's young core of Cade, Ivey, Duren, Bey, Stewart, Hayes and Bagley are all 23 years old or under and are only going to get better. Next years draft could lead to the biggest prize of all Victor Wembanyama if the ping pong balls bounce the Pistons way once again.

Currently the two things the Pistons are lacking in their group of young players is a true PF who can score, defend the paint, and protect the rim along with a wing who can consistetly hit three pointers, play solid D, and not make a bunch of turnovers. Last night when I was playing around on the trade machine I came up with a highly plausible trade idea where the Pistons could possibly cross both those items off their core wishlst by acquiring 23 year old SG/SF Gary Trent and 25 year old PF John Collins

The Trade:

Why it would work for Toronto

1. The Raptors are facing some tax issues next season and are reportedly shopping Gary Trent. Burks could replace Trent next year for $8M less or Toronto could decline his option and let him become a FA

2. The Raptors are reportedly looking for a vet PG to back up VanVleet. Cojo was well liked in Toronto when he played there before.

3. The Raptors are reportedly looking for a true Center with defensive chops to help out in certain matchups. Hello Nerlens

4. The Pistons would take Khem Birch and the the $7M he will be paid next season easing their tax concerns

5. Malachi Flynn has dropped to 3rd on the depth chart behind Banton who is younger and cheaper. Pistons would take on his $3.8M contract for next year

6. Noel and Cojo's mid size expiring contracts will be easy to include in trades if they choose to look for further upgrades before the deadline.

Why it would work for Atlanta

1. The Hawks reportedly would like to be relieved of the 4 years and $100M left on Collins Contract

2. Bojan is a great replacement, makes $5M less then Collins next season, and only has one fully guaranteed year left on his deal

3. Bojan would likely be a much better fit next to Capella for the Hawks then Collins

4. Two Bogdanovich's are better then one (I seriously thought they were brothers until i was corrected yesterday).

5. The shooting the Hawks would have with Young, Murray, Bogdan and Bojan on the floor together would be sick.

6. Second round picks are always useful to have around for trading.


My projected Pistons depth chart after the Trade

This trade may not be for everyone but I would love to see it happen. I'd hate to lose Bojan and Burks, but replacing them with two very good and proven young players who can be part of the Pistons long term future makes it so worth while. I think Collins would go right back to the player he was early in his career by not having Capella clogging the paint area. Ideally Collins will be paired with Bagley most of the time since Marvin is not afraid to shoot from outside the paint. Trent is not having a great year shooting so far (35% on 3's) but he's shot over 40% for the season on three pointers twice in his career already. I'd much rather see a young guy like Flynn getting back up minutes at PG while Cade is injured then see Cojo out there anymore.

The Pistons cap sheet is so clean that taking on Collins contract will not be an issue for the team at all. After this trade the Pistons would already have 12 players under contract for next season (plus an option decision to make on Knox) and have about $24M left in cap space avaialble to sign our #1 pick (Likely $8-10M) and use for free agency or trades.