After making NBA history as one of the worst teams, finishing their regular season with 14 wins out of 82 games, the Pistons executives have decided to dismiss their General Manager Troy Weaver, and hire a new President Of Basketball Operations, Trajan Langdon.
Troy Weaver’s stay at the Pistons didn’t record any huge wins as the players he acquired for the team were mainly misses. Thus, some of these mistakes lead to the downfall of Weaver’s efforts at the team.
How will Langdon fare at the helm?
Troy Weaver’s Mistakes At The Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons bought Weaver over from the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2020. It seemed like a promising move as Detroit aimed to follow a long-term approach by building with top-tier draft players.
The former General Manager’s shortcomings were signing too many young players who don’t necessarily have the experience to be championship contenders. A better approach could have been acquiring an NBA superstar and building around him to gradually elevate the team to a top-tier level.
The Detroit Pistons’ setback during Weaver’s tenure was the lack of two-way players. They have players that were good offensively, but average defensively. Also, the same scenario applies to their defensive playbook, which made the team fall behind heavily during the 2023-24 season.
Since Weaver’s contract was still active, the team offered him an opportunity to remain in the organization, however, he declined. This job was to be an off-site scout for the franchise.
Players Acquired By The Former General Manager
The former general manager’s trades and draft picks were both hits and misses. However, some of the good players in the team acquired during his tenure suffered injuries or declined in value. Also, due to Weaver’s player selections, the Pistons haven’t had a competitive true shooting percentage to boost their offensive performance.
In 2021 the team was fortunate to acquire a No. 1 draft pick, Cade Cunningham who has played two seasons with the team averaging 20 points, 6.5 assists, and 5 rebounds in 138 games. He was also the team leader in points and assists per game during the 2023-24 regular season.
Other young players he acquired were Isaiah Stewart, Ausar Thompson, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, and Marcus Sasser. These players were good, but a team leader, or an elite NBA Veteran, could have helped these young players develop their playing IQ both offensively and defensively.
The draft pick that affected the team’s bottom line was the No. 7 overall pick in 2020. The former General Manager picked Killian Hayes as the team’s point guard over Tyrese Haliburton. Killian Hayes’ performance was poor this 2023-24 season shooting 47.4% from the floor.
The team didn’t hit any second-round picks during Weaver’s era. Also, Weaver acquired James Wiseman by trading Saddiq Bey. Since the Detroit Pistons were in their rebuilding stage, they didn’t use their cap space to take unfavorable contracts that could have helped them acquire extra first-round picks. Instead, they signed Jerami Grant, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Alec Burks whose value declined in the long run.
What Next For The Pistons
According to the Athletic, the franchise is looking to hire Pelicans executive Michael Blackstone to be the second in command for the club after hiring Trajan Langdon. Michael Blackstone was an assistant General Manager with the Atlanta Hawks and Executive Director of Basketball Operations with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Also, the owner of the Detroit Pistons, Tom Gores, is bullish on taking the team to the next level and fulfilling his vision for the club with Trajan’s Hire:
“I have committed to building a front office in Detroit that brings together the most advanced capabilities and creative basketball minds. Trajan is an accomplished front-office executive with an impressive track record. He’s worked his way up and seen it all as a player, scout, and executive. He’s been successful at every level. I’m confident he will very swiftly get us to the standard of excellence I expect from every business.”
Therefore, with $60 million of cap space left by Troy Weaver, the Pistons have a better chance to rebuild during the offseason and emerge as championship contenders with Trajan Langdon and Micheal Blackstone now at the top of their front office.
About the Author
Wisdom is an email and brand copywriter with two years of content writing experience. He started Cloud Kitchen Concept to help startups and business owners elevate their brands from good to great. You can connect with him on LinkedIn and Instagram to enjoy cooked meals for your business’s growth.
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