| The Detroit News
In a couple of weeks, the first day of training camp could resemble the first day at a new school for even the Pistons’ veterans.
After a whirlwind day of dealing, Pistons general manager Troy Weaver has transformed the roster, with more than half of it different from the way the Pistons ended their season in March with a 20-46 record.
Of the main roster from last season, only Blake Griffin, Derrick Rose, Svi Mykhailiuk, Tony Snell, Sekou Doumbouya and Khyri Thomas remain. The Pistons still have a decision to make on whether they want to bring back big man Christian Wood, one of their most promising players when the season ended.
Wood, 25, is an unrestricted free agent and although the Pistons have his Early Bird Rights and can pay more than any other team, it’s unclear where he fits into Weaver’s future plans for the roster. The same applies to Thon Maker, who could become a restricted free agent if he remains on the roster. Langston Galloway, who finished his three-year contract, also could be brought back.
The new additions on draft night included No. 7 overall pick Killian Hayes, along with trades that brought two more first-round picks: Isaiah Stewart (No. 16) and Saddiq Bey (No. 19), along with Saben Lee (38th) in the second round.
Because the Pistons started the week with about $30 million of space in the salary cap, they were able to take on some veterans in the trades, with forward Trevor Ariza in the deal with the Houston Rockets, guard Rodney McGruder coming from the Clippers in the trade for Luke Kennard and center Tony Bradley from the Utah Jazz.
That’s a lot of turnover for one day of work, but Weaver looks to be putting a significant imprint on how he wants the roster to look. That appears to be players with size who have varied skill sets and can be mismatches on both ends of the court.
Free agency begins on Friday, when teams and players can begin negotiating deals; none can be signed until that moratorium period ends on Sunday.
There could be more attrition during free agency or additional trades to continue shaping the roster. Here’s a look at the Pistons’ roster after Wednesday’s deals.
► Guards: Derrick Rose, Killian Hayes, Svi Mykhailiuk, Khyri Thomas, Rodney McGruder, Saben Lee.
► Forwards: Blake Griffin, Tony Snell, Sekou Doumbouya, Trevor Ariza, Saddiq Bey, Louis King (two-way deal).
► Centers: Tony Bradley, Isaiah Stewart, Justin Patton (non-guaranteed deal).
rod.beard@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @detnewsRodBeard