It has been exactly a year since the Detroit Pistons hired Troy Weaver to be their new general manager. In the time since, the former Oklahoma City Thunder executive has shown why he was the top candidate on Tom Gores’ list.
Weaver completely overhauled the roster, and only one player — Sekou Doumbouya — remains from the 2019-20 team. His bevy of moves have given the franchise a clear direction and inspired confidence and excitement in a fanbase weary from a decade-plus playoff win drought. The Pistons are now positioned to take a step forward next season, as they have the second-best odds in the lottery, which will take place on Tuesday.
To honor Weaver’s first anniversary with the Pistons, here’s a ranking of his top-eight moves thus far.
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The biggest signing of Weaver’s tenure is also his best. It was one that both highlighted Weaver’s eye for talent, and how his relationship-building can tangibly improve the Pistons. Grant and Weaver were previously together with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Grant attended DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, Maryland, a suburb of Weaver’s hometown of Washington.
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It was a surprise to see Grant leave a contending Denver Nuggets team — especially at three years and $60 million — but it’s now clear Grant was miscast as a role player, and could thrive as an offensive focal point. Grant delivered the best season of his career, and while he tailed off a little toward the end of the season, he helped to set a strong foundation. The Pistons, historically, haven’t had much success with big free-agent signings. Weaver bucked that trend with Grant.
Of all of the Pistons’ additions this past — and there have been many — Stewart epitomizes the city of Detroit the most. He plays with infectious passion, flexes, snarls and isn’t afraid to get mixed up with his opponent. It’s a shame most Pistons fans weren’t able to watch him live this past season. Weaver was much higher on Stewart than most, which pegged him as a late first-round pick. And Weaver paid a healthy price to acquire him, sign-and-trading Christian Wood and a protected future first to the Houston Rockets in exchange. Stewart backed it up with a strong rookie season, was named to the All-Rookie second team and has firmly positioned himself as a player the Pistons can build around.
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One thing that’s commonly said about Weaver is that he’s fearless. To use the 16th pick on Stewart, who many draft pundits pegged as an undersized center, showed that Weaver trusts his eyes and isn’t afraid to buck popular opinion to acquire players he believes in.
Luke Kennard has been a rotation player for the Los Angeles Clippers during the playoffs, but it’s tough to imagine the Pistons feeling any regret in moving on from him. Detroit traded Kennard in a three-team deal with the Brooklyn Nets that brought back Bey, the 19th pick of the draft, and Rodney McGruder. Bey is a first-team All-Rookie selection after a strong rookie season that saw him knock down 175 3-pointers, 12 shy of the all-time rookie record. He broke multiple 3-point shooting records for the Pistons. He was a capable defender as well. The Pistons also had to send four second-round picks to get the deal done, but it appears to be a worthwhile trade-off for a player who has already become one of the best shooters in franchise history.
4. Signing Frank Jackson
Raise your hand if you expected Jackson to become one of Detroit’s most effective offensive players last season. The former Duke guard shot 40.7% from 3 and emerged as a spark plug off of the bench during the back half of the season, averaging 12.1 points in 22.1 minutes per game with a true shooting percentage of 61.5% after the All-Star break. He dramatically outplayed his two-way deal and has positioned himself nicely entering restricted free agency. Jackson was an unheralded addition to the roster and didn’t ink his deal until after the season started.
This signing — three years, $25 million — also received a confused reaction from many NBA pundits. Plumlee was a career backup center before arriving in Detroit, and plays the least-valuable position in the NBA. But like Grant, Plumlee delivered the best season of his career and thrived as a starter. He had two triple-doubles — the first two of his career — provided stability to the starting lineup and embraced being a leader in the locker room. Dwane Casey is the one who lobbied for Weaver to pursue Plumlee in free agency, and Weaver made it happen.
6. Using the room exception to sign Josh Jackson
Jackson, a former No. 4 overall pick and native Detroiter, was on shaky ground when he arrived in Detroit last offseason. He proved to be a good role player over the course of the season, carving out playing time with his defense and ability to heat up on offense. His contract — two years, $9.7 million — is very reasonable relative to his production. Jackson expressed gratitude for having a chance to jumpstart his career with the team he grew up rooting for. Weaver and Casey have said they believe in second chances, and Jackson took advantage of his.
7. Trading for Saben Lee on draft night
He didn’t appear on many mock drafts last summer, but Lee received a first-round grade from Detroit’s front office. And he exceeded expectations as a rookie point guard. The former Vanderbilt standout established himself as a big, athletic guard who could get downhill and find open shooters. Lee could end up being a steal.
8. Trading Svi Mykhailiuk for Hamidou Diallo
After a strong sophomore season, Mykhailiuk battled inconsistency with the Pistons this year. The Pistons attached a second-round pick to trade him to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Diallo, an hyper-athletic wing drafted in the second round in 2018. Diallo thrived with the Pistons, averaging 18 points and 7.3 rebounds on 53.3% overall shooting and 36.4% from 3 during his final six games of the season. Now a restricted free agent, Diallo has a chance to become a long-term piece for the Pistons.
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