The Detroit Pistons came out of yet another NBA Draft with an impressive group of players. G League Ignite forward Ausar Thompson and Houston guard Marcus Sasser are joining Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart in the Motor City as they try to build toward the postseason.
The Pistons chose Thompson, one of the highly touted twins that projects to be a great defender and playmaker, with the fifth overall pick. Then, they traded up to the 25th pick to select Sasser, an experienced guard that shot the lights out in college. Both players have oodles of potential and fit pretty well with the guys they have now. However, adding two guys that will likely see a lot of minutes means Detroit should trade someone.
More roster glut will be coming to the Pistons as they add two guys that will command playing time to a team that already has numerous other young guys. While there are a ton of good options for Detroit to trade away, Alec Burks comes to mind as someone who the Pistons should move on from after adding two more rookies to their roster.
Pistons must trade Alec Burks after 2023 NBA Draft
Burks was salary dumped to the Pistons last offseason and served as a reliable bench player last season. In 51 games (including eight starts), he averaged 12.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.2. assists while shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from deep.
While many may see Bojan Bogdanovic as the player the Pistons should trade — and it's not a crazy idea given his age and trade value — Burks is more pressing. His contract is expiring and Detroit would be smart to make his role available to Sasser. Having him take up minutes isn’t necessary.
Although Burks' shooting is very solid, the Pistons have built a roster with a ton of mouths to feed. They have a myriad of ball-handlers and wings to develop and the veteran Burks is obviously not one of them. Burks' game style isn’t super comparable to that of Thompson or Sasser but he does occupy one of the Pistons' wing spots. Detroit can always use more draft picks, as could any rebuilding squad.
The appeal of trading Burks comes from the opening of a spot in Monty Williams' rotation but it would deprive the Pistons of a key contributor. All teams need veterans to lean on. In Detroit's case, Bogdanovic would be that guy until an opposing team's trade offer is too good to refuse.
Rebuilding teams are smart to trade away their veteran players when they can get good draft compensation in return. But not every single veteran has to be flipped. It's important to create an on-court environment where players actually have room to develop their games. This is Bogdonovic's value to the Pistons. While it doesn’t make him untouchable, it should also be the reason why Detroit only trades him when the right trade offer presents itself.
Bogdanovic's shooting will help open up the floor for Thompson, who has to figure out how to be consistently productive on offense when he has the ball in the half-court. He's a dynamo in transition but he has to figure out how to attack set defenses, which will be especially hard because of his struggles shooting from deep. Bogdanovic's scoring and heads-up passing benefit every one of the team's young players, providing the offense with consistency that the youngsters still have to find.
Burks' expiring contract being so cheap is another reason why the Pistons should trade him soon: it shouldn’t be too hard to find a trade partner. The Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, Brooklyn Nets, Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers, each have an easy path to get Burks using just one contract. A bunch of other teams could get there by aggregating salaries. Losing Burks' shooting would be tough but because it allows younger players an easier crack at regular playing time, the tradeoff is worthwhile.
Even for Burks' own sake, the Pistons should trade him. He's a 31-year-old veteran that should get every chance he can to make a run in the playoffs. With Bogdanovic in place to help out, Burks is expendable. Detroit should be able to get at least one draft pick in exchange for him without giving up future cap flexibility.
Trading away Alec Burks will give the Pistons more assets for the future while opening up a rotation spot for their rookies. It would be the first of many sensible trades that Detroit can make in the hopes of maximizing its player development.
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