I've seen enough. This trade deadline should be the final note in what has been an erratic tenure for Troy Weaver. Anyone defending this is kidding themselves. Trading Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks for a slew of players and second-round picks is underwhelming at best. There were reports that teams had offered two first-round picks for Bogdanovic at last year's deadline. This haul is underwhelming.
It isn't the first disappointing trade of Weaver's time, either. Last season, he traded Saddiq Bey for James Wiseman. This trade can only be seen as atrocious. The Pistons traded Luke Kennard and Bruce Brown (both contributors for their current teams) for Sadiq Bey (a starter for his team) for James Wiseman (who can barely crack the rotation and does nothing to contribute at all). This sequence shows that Weaver doesn't know what he is doing.
What about the draft?
A year ago, I undersold the seriousness of the situation. I tried to give Weaver the benefit of the doubt, particularly about his drafting. I was wrong.
Then, we outright cut Killian Hayes. This move isn't the failure. Drafting him instead of Tyrese Haliburton and Desmond Bane is the failure. It signals an admission of incompetence.
The common defense I've seen for his nonsense is that Pistons fans overvalued Bogdanovic and Burks. Perhaps so, but the team should expect to, at least, get equal value in return. The Pistons did not.
What about the cap space?
The other defense I've seen bandied about is that the Pistons have created a lot of cap space. For who? Who is coming to Detroit? Who wants to be a part of this mess? If it happens, great! I'd love nothing more than to be wrong, but I'm not. "Well, someone will want to play with Cade!" Nope. No one wants to come here. If someone wants to play with Cade, they will wait for him to grow weary of the incompetence in Detroit.
What Weaver will do with that cap space is sign a 30-something three-point specialist and overpay a left-handed center he will trade to create more cap space in a year.
What about the shake-up?
Don't be fooled by the constant roster churn. Look at the results. The Pistons have gotten worse since he's taken over. He's had 23, 20, and 17-win seasons. We'll see how many they get this year. The point is that the Pistons are still in an abysmal situation. Making trades to make trades doesn't help your team. At this point, it's hurting the team. Each move sets the franchise's timetable a little farther back.
So, where do they stand now?
The Pistons have four core players right now: Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, and Ausar Thompson. They have two more that could be solid role players: Isaiah Stewart and Marcus Sasser. Aside from that, they are far from being a playoff contender, let alone a championship contender. So, Weaver drafted six players that he kept. Okay. Cade and Ivey were obvious picks. Good work on the Duren and Sasser picks. Initially, I liked the Stewart pick, but I've soured on the selection as he becomes less of a grit and grind player and more of another jack-up threes player.
In case anyone wants to argue that "threes win games!" No, they don't. Good shots win games. Steph Curry shooting any three is a good shot. How many of the Pistons three point shots are high percentage?
What about the new additions?
Some of the additions may start out hot and really excite Pistons fans. Like Jerami Grant, Marvin Bagley III, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Alec Burks. Trades frequently lead to increased production over a short period. Don't let the early returns distract from the bigger picture. The Pistons winning a few more games this season doesn't change the overall trajectory.
What about coaching?
Furthermore, Monty Williams looks like a historically bad hire. For the amount of money he makes in relation to his success, no one can argue against this claim. I believe his success came from having Chris Paul as a point guard. All of that success with the Hornets and Suns comes from Chris Paul. He's simply not a good coach. The most damning evidence is that he played Hayes over Ivey. I'm just a guy on my couch, and I know that's stupid.
So, what's next for this team?
I see the cellar in our future. I see Cade, Ivey, and Duren leaving via free agency to join teams without incompetent ownership, management, and coaching. The outlook is terrible. If you disagree, you are either hopelessly optimistic (I got a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn) or a Pistons apologist. Either way, carry on.
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