NYLion

We've talked about this before but he's the only Piston outside of Burks that can shoot at a high level. Unless they play on bringing in a shooter in free agency, they kind of have to keep him. Plus, by all accounts, Weaver sees him as the vet leader/key player on this team so I'm not sure if he's even on the market.

They don't have to go big in free agency or trade but they need some quality vets, more Bogey types but ones that play defense and are younger. Bruce Brown is a young vet that shouldn't break the bank. Correct the mistake of letting him go in the first place and bring him in. I think the Pistons are beyond the "sin eating" stage although I wonder if taking on somebody like Tim Hardaway Jr. might be of interest if Dallas wants to chase a big fish.

Not saying I would have done this (and who knows what "stuff" is and whose 2025 pick that was and protections etc.) but lets assume that Sasser is there at 28 and the 2025 pick was Utah's. Would you take Thompson+Sasser or Hendricks+Sasser+31+Utah 2025 1st? Actually, I just talked myself into taking that trade. The Ausar pick better be a homerun because that's a tough trade package to turn down IMO.

Most of that other stuff is noise. The bolded is the key to everything really. They signed Williams to a looong term deal so I'm not sure if the timeline to playoff contention is that short. They should at least be making a run at the 7th-8th seed in '24-'25 or else something has gone really wrong.

He was balling in the NCAA tournament. Could be an interesting signing.

Love the Sasser pick, a bit unsure about the trade up to get him, but love the player. There's your shooter @Betrayer

I think Weaver sees him as an important part of the team next season. I agree to sell high but the team also needs some quality vets so if they hold on to him, that's fine too. Plus, you should know better by now. The Pistons never, ever, sell high on their assets going on almost 15 years now.

He's like the only consistent Pistons shooter.

Arguably the best fit of the draft. I like the Black fit in Orlando too.

Ausar is a pure upside play, this was probably the homerun swing that Weaver referenced. We'll see. I'm not shocked that Whitmore is falling (well, shocked that he's fallen THIS far). Lots of red flags with him, but somebody will get a steal with him at this portion of the draft.

Interesting that he sees it as a "good chance" that they trade 5. I would always bet against a trade down this high up in the draft because they rarely happen but if Amen drops to 5, that should create some buzz around the pick. It's starting to look like Ausar is likely the pick. Not sure how I feel about that, would be a pure upside play. I'd love any of those guys at 31. I think Sasser in particular is being really undervalued.

Anything noteworthy for those of us who aren't subscribers?

Not a chance in hell should the Pistons consider that. Either Utah is giving #16 or a lightly protected future 1st to move up to 5. Otherwise, they can go pound sand. Late 1sts aren't worth much in the NBA.

I don't think there's ever been a more polarizing player in terms of trade value. You're either getting a complete disaster of a player that can't ever get on the court due to injury, being out of shape etc. (the baby mama drama is so inconsequential, who cares in terms of basketball?) or you're getting a guy that could be a perennial top 5-10 player in the NBA if he stays healthy. It's probably worth a shot for a franchise that has a hard time attracting star players and is in desperate need of getting off the treadmill and Charlotte/Portland would fit that bill. If I was Charlotte, I would just draft Scoot.

Most of the rankings I've seen if you average it out have Whitmore, Ausar Thompson and Walker in that 5-7 range give or take a bit. There's a few that have those guys a bit higher or lower but that seems to be the range they're placed in for the most part. I agree that Whitmore is a higher upside pick but I don't think he's the right fit and I think at this point in the Pistons development especially with the Monty Williams hire that they'll go for more of a plug and play player that fits more into their team concept. I don't see that as Whitmore.

Who does outside of the top 3? The one argument can be for Amen but all the rankings (which are subjective anyway) vary wildly in the 2nd tier from 4-8 or 9 or so. It seems like a chunk of the Pistons fanbase think that Whitmore is BPA at 5 and that Walker is some reach but those two are pretty much in the same tier if you look at consensus rankings. Also, is Whitmore a good fit? Do the Pistons need a ball dominant 3 who has arguably the lowest pass rate in the draft? He's not a catch and shoot guy either so it's not like he's a guy you can plant at the 3 point line and hit 3's right off of a Cade or Ivey pass. I've said this before, Whitmore has the mentality of a star without the game to match currently. He has a lot of upside but he's a project right now and is the type of player that's going to drive the fanbase nuts with ball hogging and poor decisions with the ball. The moment they hired Monty Williams, I had a feeling that guys like Walker and Hendricks would be higher on their list and Whitmore lower because he preaches ball movement and quick decision making with the ball. I'd be surprised if Whitmore was their pick but...we'll see.

I doubt that those guys have any concrete sources. That trade sounds like something straight out of a Pistons fan fantasy forum.

That's some groundbreaking news by JEIII.

I was thinking that too that if Amen drops to the Pistons that can open up a plethora of trade options not too dissimilar to Ivey last draft when the trade offers came flooding in (Knicks in particular). Of course, there was a fit for Ivey on the roster with only Cade in the backcourt so it made more sense to just take him but in this case, they could really weaponize Amen's trade value and get a haul. I'm looking at teams with multiple 1sts like Indiana and Utah. Maybe the Pistons take him just because he'd be the top talent on the board but, like you, I don't see a fit whatsoever. Personally, I'm not buying any of these smokescreens of Whitmore jumping into the top 4 and I'm not even buying all the Miller to Charlotte smoke but who knows? Last year it was widely anticipated that Jabari Smith was going 1st and Banchero was going 3rd so, outside of Wemby going 1, it's up in the air.

FTR, I didn't compare them directly as I mentioned in my previous post. I only mentioned Stanley as a guy who had physical gifts but had stuff missing between the ears. Whitmore makes a lot of poor decisions with the ball, it's a major concern for me. Also, Johnson's jumper looked broken from Day 1. Walker's stroke looks just fine, he just has to refine it a bit. Funny enough, Miller is the one who has a release that could be cause for concern. That low release could be problematic at the next level despite him having the length to shoot over people.

The biggest red flag to me in a player is lack of Basketball IQ because I don't think that's something that's fixable. That's how you get a player like Stanley Johnson who had a lot of physical gifts but lacked awareness. Not saying that Cam is Stanley, there's obviously a higher upside with him, but I've seen so many low IQ plays from him offensively and defensively that it turned off to him greatly despite the flashes of athletic brilliance that he displayed. Maybe part of that was due to him playing for a bad team feeling like he has to do everything or just chalked up to youth but it's a big negative for me because IQ is usually innate. I don't know, I've never been a big fan of the tools but no toolbox player. Also, you're right about his elite finishing ability at the rim and that coming in handy alongside playmakers but, in the same token, he's the type of player who likes to have the ball in his hands to create as well so I see that as a problem because he's not a good passer and you run the risk of the offense getting bogged down when he gets the ball similar to what Bey tried to be the last few years. With Whitmore, it almost entirely boils down to upside because what you're getting right now is a player that is very raw and needs strong coaching to get him to buy into a structured system so if you're buying into him being a potential star then this is the right play but if you're buying into players that fit in a team concept (plug and play guys) even if they have a lower ceiling then I think Walker or Hendricks are the play, or D**k if you think his defense will improve.

Athletic Versatile defender (his lateral movement is fine, not great but good enough to play perimeter defense), shot has good form so I think he'll be a solid 3 point shooter, has playmaking skills. His biggest issue is that he's not a good shot creator and is more of a 4 than a 3 which isn't a big need for the Pistons. In terms of skillset, I think he's a better fit for the Pistons than Whitmore for example. The free throw shooting is a concern but I like his form so I think it's something that can be corrected. I'll pose the same question to you about Whitmore. Talk me off the ledge... This is what I see... Inconsistent shooter, poor ballhandler because his hands are too small, not great measurables, not much of a passer, tends to make poor decisions with the ball The positives I see are his explosive athleticism and ability to cut off ball and finish at the rim. He's also really young so there's a lot of growth potential but what I see now is a player that is a project full of potential but a player that will be frustrating as hell to watch. Not making an exact comparison but some of my frustrations with Bey I see in this kid with that bully ball mentality with a propensity for the ball to stick when he gets it and being turnover prone to boot. I'll say that he has more high end potential than Walker but I think Walker fits better in the framework of a ball movement offense on a team that is led by playmaking guards. When I see Whitmore play, I see a guy that plays with a star mentality but without the refined skills at this point to play like a star. I don't see the fit unless he changes his style. I actually see Hendricks as the best fit of all these 2nd tier guys but he doesn't appear to be on the Pistons radar if the rumors are to be believed.

The only way I see that happening is if Miller or Amen Thompson drop and even then the Pistons would likely have to add #31 plus maybe one of their young centers?

Denver is pretty star laden even outside of Jokic. Murray is a star, Porter is one of the best #3 options in the league, Gordon high level role player, all guys with high draft pedigree. They're just as talented, if not more, than Boston but they play much better as a TEAM because they have the ultimate "make everybody better" guy in Jokic. Malone is an excellent coach but that team is as talented as any in the league. The NBA, compared to the other sports, is a star driven league and always will be. If Cade doesn't turn out to be a superstar or at least a top 10-15 player in the league, the Pistons will more than likely never win a Championship. Teams like the '04 Pistons are an extreme exception. It doesn't mean that coaching doesn't play a role of course but it's less important than other sports IMO.

The injuries are a concern of course but he's still young and played at an MVP level for a few years. FTR, I take Goff and his current salary over Lamar and his new salary without hesitation especially in this offense the way the Lions are being built but if you look at them in a vacuum purely from an upside/impact standpoint, I can't imagine many taking Goff over Jackson.