The Detroit Pistons hit the jackpot with their draft night moves. The Pistons were able to select Jaden Ivey out of Purdue, who was projected by many to be the No. 4 pick, and they also acquired Jalen Duren's draft rights.
The team also acquired Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel in exchange for mainly a protected second-round pick.
All of those moves will likely move the team toward the goal of returning to the playoffs. However, there was one particular trade that Detroit should have avoided, or at least gotten more in return.
Here is the worst move of the 2022 NBA offseason made by the Pistons that could have some serious implications on the team's performance this season.
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Pistons' Worst 2022 NBA Offseason Move
In a very active offseason in Detroit, one of the moves the team made was trading away Jerami Grant to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for a top-four protected 2025 first-round pick via Milwaukee, draft rights to a European player and two future second-round selections.
In his second year with the Pistons, Grant averaged 19.2 points, 2.4 assists and 4.1 rebounds while adding a block and 0.9 steals a night. However, he missed a good portion of the season due to multiple injuries.
Grant led the team in scoring for the second straight season, significantly improving his offensive numbers from his time in Philadelphia, Oklahoma City and Denver. Despite being only 28 years old, he also became one of the leaders of a team full of younger pieces such as Cade Cunningham and Saddiq Bey.
After the Pistons failed to make the playoffs for the third straight season, the front office decided that what they had was not enough.
By trading Grant, the team loses the scoring abilities he displayed, plus his defensive capabilities against multiple positions. The team also lost one of the few players with significant playoff experience who could have helped the younger pieces. Also, the Pistons lost who has been their best player since he joined the team in 2020.
This trade could also indicate that the coaching staff is ready to leave the team in the hands of Cunningham and the most recent draft picks in Ivey and Duren. The rookies and the second-year guard should have more touches and more impact than usual without Grant in the rotation.
Still, the value Detroit got for Grant seems a bit low, even though the first-round pick acquired was used to get Duren and cap space was opened up with the deal.Ā For a player who just last year was playing and winning a gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics, the Pistons could have asked for more in this deal for their marquee free agent signing of 2020.
For comparison, the Indiana Pacers mainly got a first-round pick, Aaron Nesmith and Daniel Theis, plus some salary fillers, for Malcolm Brogdon. The Pistons could have asked for at least a young piece and/or a rotational player to help the team in this upcoming season.
Overall, if Detroit kept Grant, it could have helped the team's development while also providing quality on both ends of the floor. But since they traded him, they could have gotten more. Now, Pistons fans will have to hope the rookies play well right away and Cunningham improve even more, otherwise they might watch Grant help Damian Lillard in Portland and wonder what could have been if he stayed.
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