Pistons acquire Nerlens Noel, Alec Burks, picks from Knicks. What does it mean?
Troy Weaver and his staff couldn’t even go a week without executing another trade.
Five days after a chaotic and successful draft night, the Pistons’ general manager was back on the phone executing a deal with a familiar foe. Sources tell The Athletic that the Knicks are trading veteran center Nerlens Noel, veteran wing Alec Burks, two second-round picks and cash to the Pistons for … nothing.
The Pistons, who had roughly $40 million in cap space going into Tuesday, just two days before a blah free agency period was set to begin, were likely to use their space to take on unwanted contracts in order to acquire assets, as they continue to move forward with a young core. Detroit was able to land two draft picks, a rotational wing and a veteran, defensive-mind big in exchange for eating $19 million in cap space. The Pistons still have about $20 million at their disposal.
This trade signals that Detroit is kicking the can down the road one more offseason while emphasizing its even younger core in 2022-23. I reported in early 2021 that the Pistons were looking to turn a real corner in their “restoration” in 2023, when the free agency class is far more intriguing and rival teams might be looking to offload good players in order to add better ones. This specific move signals that the front office hasn’t deviated from that plan.
Burks and Noel have team options for next season. If Detroit elects to not pick up either, that will create $19 million in cap space for the summer of 2023. Additionally, the contracts of Cory Joseph and Hamidou Diallo come off the books (that’s a little over $10 million combined). Kelly Olynyk has a partial guarantee of just $3 million if Detroit waives him by June 28 of next year (that would be, roughly, $9 million coming off). Lastly, the dead money of DeAndre Jordan ($7.9 million) comes off next year, too. Add it all up, and the Pistons will easily clear $45 million in cap space for the summer of 2023.
In the short term, per sources, Detroit is expected to keep Burks and Noel on the roster. The former has shot over 40 percent from 3 the last three seasons on high volume. The Pistons were one of the worst shooting teams in the league a season ago and were unlikely to get a sharpshooter as good as Burks in the open market. Burks did just undergo foot surgery, but he should be ready to go by the start of training camp. Noel brings veteran leadership to a young Detroit frontcourt while being a reliable option in case of emergency. With these additions, the Pistons will have 13 players under contract once rookies Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren sign, and assuming a deal with restricted free agent Marvin Bagley III gets done at the end of the week. Per sources, the Pistons have every intention of bringing Bagley back to the Motor City.
On the surface, this isn’t a sexy move. It is, however, an effective one. The Pistons round out their roster with reliable vets, add draft capital and plant a flag for the direction moving forward. If you were wondering when Detroit would start seriously turning a corner, you now have your answer.
The Pistons, though, aren’t opposed to making the playoffs this year. If it happens with a young core led by Cade Cunningham, Saddiq Bey, Jaden Ivey and others, that means something went better than expected. If they don’t, which a team this young shouldn’t be expected to, they’ll add another lottery pick to their talented young group and, potentially, a proven, high-level impact player or two, whether via free agency or a trade in 2023.
You may not like Detroit’s plan, but the franchise has one. And it’s been executed to perfection so far. However, the pressure now intensifies to make something happen a year from now.
The light at the end of the tunnel continues to shine brightly. For now.
Pistons acquire Nerlens Noel, Alec Burks, picks from Knicks. What does it mean?
Troy Weaver and his staff couldn’t even go a week without executing another trade.
Five days after a chaotic and successful draft night, the Pistons’ general manager was back on the phone executing a deal with a familiar foe. Sources tell The Athletic that the Knicks are trading veteran center Nerlens Noel, veteran wing Alec Burks, two second-round picks and cash to the Pistons for … nothing.
The Pistons, who had roughly $40 million in cap space going into Tuesday, just two days before a blah free agency period was set to begin, were likely to use their space to take on unwanted contracts in order to acquire assets, as they continue to move forward with a young core. Detroit was able to land two draft picks, a rotational wing and a veteran, defensive-mind big in exchange for eating $19 million in cap space. The Pistons still have about $20 million at their disposal.
This trade signals that Detroit is kicking the can down the road one more offseason while emphasizing its even younger core in 2022-23. I reported in early 2021 that the Pistons were looking to turn a real corner in their “restoration” in 2023, when the free agency class is far more intriguing and rival teams might be looking to offload good players in order to add better ones. This specific move signals that the front office hasn’t deviated from that plan.
Burks and Noel have team options for next season. If Detroit elects to not pick up either, that will create $19 million in cap space for the summer of 2023. Additionally, the contracts of Cory Joseph and Hamidou Diallo come off the books (that’s a little over $10 million combined). Kelly Olynyk has a partial guarantee of just $3 million if Detroit waives him by June 28 of next year (that would be, roughly, $9 million coming off). Lastly, the dead money of DeAndre Jordan ($7.9 million) comes off next year, too. Add it all up, and the Pistons will easily clear $45 million in cap space for the summer of 2023.
In the short term, per sources, Detroit is expected to keep Burks and Noel on the roster. The former has shot over 40 percent from 3 the last three seasons on high volume. The Pistons were one of the worst shooting teams in the league a season ago and were unlikely to get a sharpshooter as good as Burks in the open market. Burks did just undergo foot surgery, but he should be ready to go by the start of training camp. Noel brings veteran leadership to a young Detroit frontcourt while being a reliable option in case of emergency. With these additions, the Pistons will have 13 players under contract once rookies Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren sign, and assuming a deal with restricted free agent Marvin Bagley III gets done at the end of the week. Per sources, the Pistons have every intention of bringing Bagley back to the Motor City.
On the surface, this isn’t a sexy move. It is, however, an effective one. The Pistons round out their roster with reliable vets, add draft capital and plant a flag for the direction moving forward. If you were wondering when Detroit would start seriously turning a corner, you now have your answer.
The Pistons, though, aren’t opposed to making the playoffs this year. If it happens with a young core led by Cade Cunningham, Saddiq Bey, Jaden Ivey and others, that means something went better than expected. If they don’t, which a team this young shouldn’t be expected to, they’ll add another lottery pick to their talented young group and, potentially, a proven, high-level impact player or two, whether via free agency or a trade in 2023.
You may not like Detroit’s plan, but the franchise has one. And it’s been executed to perfection so far. However, the pressure now intensifies to make something happen a year from now.
The light at the end of the tunnel continues to shine brightly. For now.
