Pistons related Free Agency Thread

[flow]

Marcus Smart gets bought out, signs with Lakers.

What a shame. He would have been a perfect fit here. Would have salvaged the offseason.

.

How would an undersized off-guard with a shaky shot have been a perfect fit here?

A tough, dog-mentality, leader point guard who also plays good defense. Yeah, we don't need that.

[Crymson]

A tough, dog-mentality, leader point guard who also plays good defense. Yeah, we don't need that.

In the future, consider knowing the player before you make the snide claims. Smart is a point guard in name only -- he's never been a viable lead handler -- and would be yet another secondary handler on this roster; and though he is a hard worker and a strong defender, he's also a perennially unreliable shooter, and this is a team that's already starting right in the face of inadequate spacing.

And so, if we subtract your entirely misplaced sarcasm, you're absolutely right: we don't need that in the rotation.

[chrbal]

A tough, dog-mentality, leader point guard who also plays good defense. Yeah, we don't need that.

In the future, consider knowing the player before you make the snide claims. Smart is a point guard in name only -- he's never been a viable lead handler -- and would be yet another secondary handler on this roster; and though he is a hard worker and a strong defender, he's also a perennially unreliable shooter, and this is a team that's already starting right in the face of inadequate spacing.

And so, if we subtract your entirely misplaced sarcasm, you're absolutely right: we don't need that in the rotation.

With NBA offenses as they are, pgs aren’t always the primary ball handler

I’m not saying not signing him is a major loss, but I can see the need for him on this roster. But it would have been a smaller role as opposed to how the Lakers would use him

I’m personally hopeful that when/if the Wizards waive CJ McCollum, we’re in a position to add him once he clears waivers

[Crymson]

With NBA offenses as they are, pgs aren’t always the primary ball handler

I am aware. That said, point guard and lead handler tend to be synonymous, and that was the way in which the poster to whom I'm responding was using the term. Cade technically plays point guard. LeBron played point guard for the Lakers for a time. Luka is another jumbo point guard. And so on. Being a point guard by default simply because one is small but not being able to actually play lead handler is generally very much not a positive thing; Sasser, for example, is technically a point guard simply because he's a shrimp, and not because he can really lead an offense -- the fact that he's both small and unable to do so has major implications for his value, because it shoves him by default into the low-value role of undersized shooting specialist.

I’m not saying not signing him is a major loss, but I can see the need for him on this roster. But it would have been a smaller role as opposed to how the Lakers would use him

What need? The guy is a perennially unreliable shooter. Yay for defense, but he doesn't fill any needs, and he'd make an area of probable weakness even weaker.

[Cowology]

We need a 3rd string veteran PG who will accept limited minutes, but is capable of playing a larger role if needed (injury). Low turnovers & respectable shooting required.

Big picture I still think we need an upgrade @ center, but for now a backup 4/5 would be nice. Shot-blocking and 3pt shooting are needed, but you aren't likely to get both so probably just take BPA that works with your budget.

Any significant moves are likely to wait until after Ivey proves he's healthy. We're looking for big internal development from multiple rotation players and 2nd full camp for a young team that now has started to sorta believe in the process. We definitely have gaps, but we don't have to urgently address them. If they are still there 12 months from now it doesn't particularly matter. As always, we simply want to move the right overall direction. Which we are.

[Crymson]

We need a 3rd string veteran PG who will accept limited minutes, but is capable of playing a larger role if needed (injury). Low turnovers & respectable shooting required.

Your best bets on the free agent market are Payne and Pistons legend Monte Morris. I wouldn't be surprised to see Goodwin claimed by the Pistons if he's available. The market is barren. Brogdon is solid, but he's one of the least healthy players in the league.

Big picture I still think we need an upgrade @ center, but for now a backup 4/5 would be nice. Shot-blocking and 3pt shooting are needed, but you aren't likely to get both so probably just take BPA that works with your budget.

I think the Pistons can get away with fielding a traditional big so long as he's good at traditional center things. Duren is not -- defense is the most important traditional center thing there is, and he's well on the wrong side of average there -- and it's very unlikely that he'll take the prodigious leap defensively that he needs in order to be the starting center of the future for this team (or any team), so I agree that they'll ultimately need an upgrade. I think that if a good option had presented itself this summer, it would have happened already; I believe that simply carrying him into next season and hoping against hope for improvement was the backup option.

Any significant moves are likely to wait until after Ivey proves he's healthy. We're looking for big internal development from multiple rotation players and 2nd full camp for a young team that now has started to sorta believe in the process. We definitely have gaps, but we don't have to urgently address them. If they are still there 12 months from now it doesn't particularly matter. As always, we simply want to move the right overall direction. Which we are.

Yep -- by all indications and by Trajan's own words, this season is about growth from within. The Pistons need to know what they have in the youth. This season should (hopefully) give a reliable picture of that.

[Canadafan]

[Canadafan]

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[Canadafan]

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[Neptune]

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I agree with this 100%. But, we have to remember. Two posters in here said something crazy about Ivey during one of our summer league games. One said Holland is better and another said Ivey sucks.

Can't wait until the 25-26 season starts! Again, don't jump on that bandwagon! Please!

[whitehops]

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interesting, but my only thought with this is they want to add more (tough) shot-making talent/shooting with beasley's absence. other than that he's mostly shoot first, second, third, etc. and only pass if you're in an emergency and the defense is straight-up bad. there's a reason why no contenders are at the top of the list of most likely to get him.

[MotownMadness]

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interesting, but my only thought with this is they want to add more (tough) shot-making talent/shooting with beasley's absence. other than that he's mostly shoot first, second, third, etc. and only pass if you're in an emergency and the defense is straight-up bad. there's a reason why no contenders are at the top of the list of most likely to get him.

I wouldn’t have minded him before Robinson but it’s hard to see a fit now

[Snakebites]

Cam Thomas slides into the same role that Ivey will likely have this offseason.

Also I agree with Zach Lowe's assessment of him, so there's that. He's the kind of guy I hope Ivey does not become. So why add him to a core that already includes Ivey?

[Cowology]

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I agree with this 100%. But, we have to remember. Two posters in here said something crazy about Ivey during one of our summer league games. One said Holland is better and another said Ivey sucks.

Can't wait until the 25-26 season starts! Again, don't jump on that bandwagon! Please!

I 100% think Holland is going to be a problem for people down the road. He has the higher floor as a 2-way player.

Ivey has a lot more question marks. He *might* be better....or he may be a perenial 6MOY type like Crawford. He's clearly a better offensive player as of last season, but that's hardly a good measure and is still only 1 side of the ball.

We'll see. I am a big Holland fan though and I do think he'll become our 2nd best player.

[Neptune]

If we do land Thomas, I could see him as our super 6th man. I wonder if we can do a sign & trade for Levert. Being that we just signed him, it might not be possible. We'll let's say that doesn't happen.

Cade/Levert
Ivey/Thomas
Thompson/Robinson
Harris/Holland
Duren/Stew

Looks good

[Neptune]

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I agree with this 100%. But, we have to remember. Two posters in here said something crazy about Ivey during one of our summer league games. One said Holland is better and another said Ivey sucks.

Can't wait until the 25-26 season starts! Again, don't jump on that bandwagon! Please!

I 100% think Holland is going to be a problem for people down the road. He has the higher floor as a 2-way player.

Ivey has a lot more question marks. He *might* be better....or he may be a perenial 6MOY type like Crawford. He's clearly a better offensive player as of last season, but that's hardly a good measure and is still only 1 side of the ball.

We'll see. I am a big Holland fan though and I do think he'll become our 2nd best player.

Yeah, we'll see. I believe Ivey is our 2nd best player and next season, if his leg is completely healthy, you'll see better numbers compared to last season. I can't argue about the defense because Holland is a better defender. But Holland isnt a top tier defender like Ausar, so I wouldnt say his ceiling is sky high.

[Kilo]

I'd take Cam Thomas for 14M with a huge chip on his shoulder. Stack assets because Detroit will need to sell off 3 of top 6-7 in a move for Cade's Robin sooner than later.

I don't think he is signing for that.

[bstein14]

If we land Cam Thomas, the bench unit is loaded with scorers. That said, might as well send them back Sasser in the trade considering he won't touch the floor unless there's an injury. Cam has been a 22 to 24 PPG scorer the past two seasons, but he does/will get hunted on defense. If we landed Cam I would actually expect our scoring to be so balanced that only Cade averages more than 15 PPG on average. I'd expect LeVert, Cam, and Robinson to all average between 10-13 PPG per night off the bench with Holland and Stew kind of getting the scraps most nights.

C: Duren / Stew
F: Tobias / Robinson
F: Ausar / Holland
G: Ivey / Cam
G: Cade / LeVert

I will say that Cam doesn't feel very much like a Pistons DNA type guy though. He's most of a Ben Gordon or Charlie V (skilled offensively) type player than a guy I'd normally go after here in Detroit.

[tmorgan]

Eewww, man. Cam Thomas (.473/.544) does not play like Beasley (.634/.937) or Robinson (.760/.884). He plays like Sasser (.418/.586).

(those are percentage of baskets assisted on 2p/3p)

Thomas is better than Sasser, obviously. He’s a very nice shot creator — for himself. He also draws fouls pretty well. His defense is worse, though, and he took 18 shots a game the last two seasons. We have no role for a guy like that, not even remotely close to a role.

If you trade for Cam, you trade Ivey immediately, and I think it’s a likely downgrade in terms of team chemistry and flow, both now and in the future. And I’m not even an Ivey guy. If you acquire Cam and give him 20 minutes off the bench, he’s going to bitch about it. His ego is… large.

Definite “no” unless other stuff (trading a small for a big) is already lined up and doable immediately. And even then, meh. Cam is not Malik Beasley, he’s his own flawed offensive system. CamBall is a thing.

[SuperBad]

I think Holland looked as good on the offensive end in his Rookie season as Iveys rookie season, obviously his defense is better than Ivey. I think Ron could be the 2nd or third option in two-3 years. I did not want to draft him. Summer league made believe for sure he’s at least more than an energy role player I think.