RealGM

Is this too much to ask for a single offseason?

Lowry - sure, Toronto wants to keep him, but he is unrestricted. Dream scenario is they don't want to pay him, and accept a sign/trade and get Jennings. Ok, that might be a bit much, but hey, we could always throw in a future protected first

Stephenson - he is looking like quite the stud right now, although so did BG the year before we overpaid for him. Indiana will have to dig deep to keep him. A bit more seriously this time, a KCP sign/trade might be possible. Or not.

Ariza - lots of SF options - Melo, Deng, Gay, but Ariza may be the most obtainable. Gay possibly in a swap for Josh Smith? That would be awesome.

Ok, now's the time when everyone can respond and remind me that we don't have enough cap space to do all of this (hence the hopeful sign/trades). But before the trashing begins, a quick looks at this starting lineup...

PG: Lowry
SG: Stephenson
SF: Ariza
PF: Monroe
C: Drummond
Coach: SVG

I dont want Stephenson. He is a loose cannon. Ariza isn't anything special either. We need to make bringing in a good PG our new top priority now that we have a good coach. Lowry would be fantastic. Bledsoe would be a dream come true. After we secure a PG we need to focus on filling the SF position. Of course, we should be shopping Smith/Jennings constantly. That should be our offseason blueprint imo.

I'm still holding into #8 for Smoove. The reason he was not highly sought 2 years ago was because he wasn't locked up. I can see him being a good fit with cousins.

ComboGuardCity wrote:I'm still holding into #8 for Smoove. The reason he was not highly sought 2 years ago was because he wasn't locked up. I can see him being a good fit with cousins.

I would laugh so hard if this happend, we would basically be trading smith for the pick we lost lol.

Just to add a bit more content:

PG
Lowry (UFA), Bledsoe (RFA), Thomas (RFA), Livingston (UFA), Vasquez (RFA), Chalmers (UFA), Sessions (UFA)
Not sure where you draw the Jennings line. Don't want Thomas, Bledsoe would get matched, so expensive version is Lowry, cheap version is Livingston. Otherwise we stick with Jennings, Bynum and Siva?

SG
Stevenson (UFA), Bradley (RFA), Turner (RFA), Young (Player Option)
I'd rather have KCP than Turner or Young. Wade and Allen are not coming. How good is Bradley? I haven't seen him play much, and how bad does Boston want to keep him? The home run is to go for Stephenson. If nothering else, we should give him a big offer and make Indiana cough up some serious cash and keep their cap space non-existent for several years.

SF
Melo (Player Option), Deng (UFA), Gay (Player Option), Hayward (RFA), Ariza (UFA)
I don't see Melo interested, and Hayward will probably get matched. We can't easily afford Deng or Gay (unless we can use Josh Smith in a swap), especially if we go big for Stephenson. Ariza seems like an affordable option.

There are also a couple of trade options I'd like us to explore:
SF: Barnes - might never be as good as anticipated, but better than what we got and still young.
SG: Waiters - I think he may be crazy, but so is Stephenson, and Waiters can certainly ball if given the chance.

Ariza- looked great this season, relative to his contract. The last time Ariza looked this good is when he was on an expiring contract with the Lakers. He's a contract player, much like Stuckey. Pass.

Stephenson- Talent is definitely there. The attitude problems are definitely there as well. If we had a good locker room, with some veteran leadership, I would be all for offering Stephenson too much that Indy will let him walk. But, as the locker room currently stands, I have serious reservations. The only guaranteed pro- Stephenson will probably put his boot up Smith and Jennings' arse at some point if they were on the same team.

Lowry- Probably the most obtainable. Sure, he said all the right things to reporters, but money talks. Just leaving Canada will save him money, due to the double taxation he faces as a US citizen working in Canada. (Toronto fans dispute that this could motivate him to leave. Ha!)

Offer Lowry 4/48, and he'll likely be asking what number he can wear before the ink dries. Additionally, Lowry is probably the best FA that fits the Pistons needs. He can shoot, score inside, pass, and play defense. Sign Lowry, then match whatever offer sheet Monroe brings back to the team.

theBigLip wrote:Just to add a bit more content:

PG
Lowry (UFA), Bledsoe (RFA), Thomas (RFA), Livingston (UFA), Vasquez (RFA), Chalmers (UFA), Sessions (UFA)
Not sure where you draw the Jennings line. Don't want Thomas, Bledsoe would get matched, so expensive version is Lowry, cheap version is Livingston. Otherwise we stick with Jennings, Bynum and Siva?

SG
Stevenson (UFA), Bradley (RFA), Turner (RFA), Young (Player Option)
I'd rather have KCP than Turner or Young. Wade and Allen are not coming. How good is Bradley? I haven't seen him play much, and how bad does Boston want to keep him? The home run is to go for Stephenson. If nothering else, we should give him a big offer and make Indiana cough up some serious cash and keep their cap space non-existent for several years.

SF
Melo (Player Option), Deng (UFA), Gay (Player Option), Hayward (RFA), Ariza (UFA)
I don't see Melo interested, and Hayward will probably get matched. We can't easily afford Deng or Gay (unless we can use Josh Smith in a swap), especially if we go big for Stephenson. Ariza seems like an affordable option.

There are also a couple of trade options I'd like us to explore:
SF: Barnes - might never be as good as anticipated, but better than what we got and still young.
SG: Waiters - I think he may be crazy, but so is Stephenson, and Waiters can certainly ball if given the chance.

PG -
Love Bledsoe but I don't think we can get him. Lowry can only be gotten if we overpay him by a lot. So, I guess that is a no as well.

SG -

Like Stephenson but there is no way this team can handle a crazy in the locker room. Would have been nice if we had some vet leadership. Getting him (by overpaying him ...of course) would be a big risk. Beal can't be had and no interest in the rest.

SF -

Jazz may keep Hayward now that they can neither have Parker nor have Wiggins. Deng is old (relatively speaking) and may be looking to play for a contender. Melo won't come here. No interest in the rest of the group.


Trades -
Barnes-- I actually like this option. Barnes' value won't be as high anymore and I think he can be had in a trade. All we need him to be is a 3-D player at SF.
Waiters-- I like this guy's talent and Cavs would surely be looking to move him but they may dangle him as part of a big trade package.

ComboGuardCity wrote:I'm still holding into #8 for Smoove. The reason he was not highly sought 2 years ago was because he wasn't locked up. I can see him being a good fit with cousins.

That would be amazing if that actually happened. That would be better than just keeping the 8th pick.

An interesting name to add to the mix -- Reggie Jackson.

From what I understand, Ariza and SVG didnt get along when he played for him. Some have said he's one of the few players who hate Stan. So its safe to say our hiring SVG effectively eliminated Ariza as a FA option.

Stephenson would've been the last player I'd sign a few weeks ago. Now I think we have a coach who could handle him, but also could be a recipe for disaster having two strong willed personalities like that together.

Lowry is intriguing but don't think he's worth the money.

I agree with you and would like to see us explore trades involving Barnes and Waiters. I decline on Lowry, Ariza, and Stephenson though.

rmfc wrote:An interesting name to add to the mix -- Reggie Jackson.

I agree. He should definitely be on our radar. I would take him over Jennings easily. He would at least be a great backup if he doesn't pan out as a starter.

DetroitPistons wrote:

rmfc wrote:An interesting name to add to the mix -- Reggie Jackson.

I agree. He should definitely be on our radar. I would take him over Jennings easily. He would at least be a great backup if he doesn't pan out as a starter.

As a general principle, we should always target all young OKC backups. They know how to find young talent.

PG
Lowry is an incredibly long shot at the point IMO. I would like to see what SVG can do with Jennings and spend some money on a solid back up. Patty Mills is a guy i'd love to see in Detroit. He's a hard worker, plays team basketball and can spread the floor. He'd be coming from a great system in San Antonio which is a bonus too.
Vasquez is another guy i like. He had success in NO and could prove too expensive a luxury if Toronto have to overspend on Lowry.

SG
I'm too high on KCP for my own good i guess. I'd like to give him a chance at the starting spot and bring in shooters behind him. Meeks is a guy that shouldn't cost too much, but is a very good shooter and not too old.
Morrow could be another cheap shooter worth a look. He's fairly one dimensional though.
Stephenson is too much of a gamble for me and he'll command a high price. After the last few years i just want no nonsense guys on the team.

SF
Like others have mentioned, webster could be had for basically nothing if washington resign Ariza and want to develop Porter.
As far as FA goes, there's a few options, but there's question marks over everyone
-Ariza had a great year, but was it just a contract year? He may also demand too much.
-Deng would be a nice fit, but he's older and wants to get paid. His health is always going to be an issue too.
-Granger could come fairly cheap and provide good leadership, but how much does he have left in the tank and will he want to go to a younger team instead of a contender??
-Melo would be awesome, but would he consider detroit? And also, what would we have to do to work the financials out?
-Hayward would be a perfect fit IMO, but will utah let him walk?

If we don't trade smith and manage to sign moose on a reasonable deal, i'd go with Mills, Meeks and Granger.

ImHeisenberg wrote:

ComboGuardCity wrote:I'm still holding into #8 for Smoove. The reason he was not highly sought 2 years ago was because he wasn't locked up. I can see him being a good fit with cousins.

That would be amazing if that actually happened. That would be better than just keeping the 8th pick.

That's what makes it so funny we've essentially been in a love triangle with the bobcats and kings the past few years anyways.

2010: many wanted cousins. Kings take cousins.
2011: Many wanted biyombo. Kings trade pick to bobcats and biyombo is taken.
2012: kings and and bobcats were 2 spots rumored to be looking at Drummond. We get Drummond.
2013: Many wanted mclemore. Kings take him right before.
2014: the end?

Stephenson and Gordon are absolutely nothing like each other as players and I'm tired of seeing that comparison.

With that said, this is implausible, completely. Sign and trade Jennings for Lowry? Those numbers would never work. Nor does us somehow having enough money to pull out of a hat to get Ariza and Stephenson while still keeping Monroe.

There isn't enough cap space nor enough assets to make trades happen. Its not even close. I doubt we can keep Monroe and get EITHER of Lowry/Stephenson.

Seems only possible if we can actually make Smith disappear from the salary books. If you've learned that magic trick I hope you can teach it to SVG.

Stephenson scares the hell out of me. A lot of hate Bynum because of his "hero ball", well that is a staple in Lance's game. I want no part of that guy personally.

I like Lowry, but not at the price its probably going to take to get him.

At this point, I'm not into overpaying for any free agents. The free agents that really matter, won't entertain coming to Detroit anyways.

IMO, the best course of action is using the cap space to facilitate trades/acquire draft assets. If nothing substantial on that front materializes this summer, thats ok just save the cap space until something intriguing presents itself. No real reason to rush things.

I know Joe D is gone, and so hopefully signing talent just to sign talent is a thing of the past, but we don't have to spend our cap space this offseason. As much as I'd like to stay away from Stephenson and Ariza, I'd be okay going after that trio, if that's where they draw the line. We have a starting lineup already. Sure the lineup could use some improvement, but to find a SF marginally better than Singler just to sign someone would be a waste.

I'd honestly be fine if they didn't sign anyone. And by anyone I mean other than a depth signing. Get a good season under our belt, show what a good coach can do for the talent we have, and next offseason, Detroit becomes a somewhat more attractive destination.

If a guy is an unrestricted free agent, it makes no sense to do a sign and trade. They have no rights or control over the player.

I don't want to spend more money on a backup caliber point guard. We already have Bynum, who although he is frustrating, qualifies as a competent backup and at least works hard. If we're going to spend money it should be on a upgrade at the starting position. Spending big money on a slight upgrade at backup PG is silly. The Bulls have been cycling through super-cheap backup PGs for years only to see them get overpaid elsewhere to not out produce their replacement.

Lowry is a perfect fit and we absolutely should try to pry him from the Raptors. Offer him the big contract.

The only other guy who I'm interested in is Hayward as a solid glue guy, among those who I think we can really get. After that just sign a backup SG if we don't take one at 38.

Everyone else either won't be a big impact guy, be contract year sort, or just won't come here due to personal preference or being restricted.

My dream:

Decline Chauncey's player option and move him to assistant GM saving $2.5 mil

Use the stretch provision on Jerebko & Bynum saving ~$4 mil.

Trade Jennings to the Lakers for Nash, who then retires saving $7.6 mil

We have ~$37 mil in cap space.


S&T Monroe for Rondo. Celtics need a true center and can draft their Rondo replacement in Smart at #6. ~$24 mil in cap space.

Sign Lance - 4 years/50 mil. ~$11 mil in cap space

Sign Deng - 3 yrs/$35 mil

Sign DeJuan Blair with our room exemption, draft McGary at 38


Rondo/(Lance)/Siva
Lance/KCP
Deng/Singler/Datome/Mitchell
Smith/Blair/McGary
Drummond/Harrellson