In a survey of 8 NBA executives and scouts conducted by ESPN, the Detroit Pistons were voted as having the worst offseason. The Eastern Conference bottom dwellers tied with the Houston Rockets with three votes apiece, the third team on the list was the Milwaukee Bucks with two votes.
The Rockets being on this list makes sense, with Russell Westbrook and James Harden both requesting a trade and not having Mike D’Antoni or Daryll Morey anymore.
“They are in a tough spot.” one Eastern Conference scout said.
The Pistons’ most obvious error was in letting big man Christian Wood walk in free agency. Detroit made matters worse by signing Mason Plumlee to a three-year, $25 million contract and adding Jahlil Okafor instead of keeping their promising big man Wood.
While the team in the Motor City did do well in the draft, getting Kilian Hayes with the number 7 overall pick, NBA executives are confused where the franchise is headed.
“[The Pistons], to me, were the worst offseason by far,” an Eastern Conference executive said to ESPN, “I don’t know what they are doing at all. I know they want to build long term, but I have no concept of what they are doing.”
The club also won the Jerami Grant free agency race, signing him to $60 million over 3 years after the 25-year-old forward broke out in the playoffs. After a lack-luster season and with an aging Blake Griffin, the Pistons must start moving in a new direction. Trading away their young core and letting promising young players walk in free agency seems to be the opposite of what they should be doing to rebuild.
