Detroit Pistons: Don’t Ruin Promising Offseason With Westbrook Trade

The Detroit Pistons have been so dull for so long Pistons fans have gotten thirsty for any real entertainment, even if it means delaying a rebuild for five more total wins, fast-break dunks, but still an early playoff exit. Seemingly forgetting the best form of sports entertainment comes alongside a championship run.

Hard to blame the fans for being forgetful as it’s been fifteen years since the Detroit Pistons had a shot at an NBA championship, but I’m worried the lack of direction from the organization is starting to leak into the fan base.

After an impressive offseason of smart, cost-effective moves with an eye on the future for the first time in recent memory, the Detroit Pistons are rumored to be ‘interested’ in throwing all that away for a 171 million dollar highlight reel in Russell Westbrook.

This has drawn somewhat of a line in the sand within the fan base. You have the ‘entertain me’ crowd and the ‘championship or bust’ crowd, with the good majority in both camps believing Westbrook wouldn’t bring a title to Detroit.

Fans started to hop on the Russ to Detroit bandwagon when Chris Broussard of ESPN went the ‘Undisputed’ and said this on Monday;

"The one team that’s reportedly interested, that I think should do it, is Detroit.They [Detroit] tried that break it down, lets build, you know, get lottery picks and all that, it failed."

The Detroit Pistons have not tried to break it down, rebuild and get lottery picks since way before the 2004 championship, they were trying to do precisely what Broussard suggested, and that’s failed.

Russell Westbrook is one of my all-time favorite players a fantastic talent, but he’s also a talent that couldn’t get it done with both Kevin Durant and James Harden. He’s a talent that hasn’t gotten out of the first round with the help of Durant either.

It’s been three straight first-round exits for OKC, and that’s with the help of Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, and Victor Oladipo. There’s also a lot to be said about all those players not wanting to play in OKC anymore, Westbrook is well known to be hard to play with. Just ask Reggie Jackson, in a round-a-bout way Russell being hard to work with is why we’re stuck in the PG position we’re in right now with Reggie and his demands to leave OKC.

The Numbers: Westbrook is a PG that would have been considered a bad shooter in the 80’s shooting;

• 42% FG
• 29% 3PT
• 65% FT

All on a whopping 20 shots a game, ridiculously almost 6 of them were from 3, again 29% and declining. In a league where shooting is more important than ever, all his numbers have been declining in recent years. He’ll be 31 in November.

At 31 years old in November he’s set to be making $38, $41, $44 and a massive $47-million when he’s 35 years old. Westbrook’s contract is commonly thought of as the second worst contract in the NBA behind John Wall‘s, Washington can’t move Wall for anything. To throw some sugar on top, you could argue Griffin’s contract right behind them as well.

Taking on this contract would further financially cripple an already perpetually broke franchise into another decade of mediocrity with no cap flexibility in sight, something it hasn’t had since 2009. All for what? A player at his age, who depends on his athleticism more than any other player in the NBA, horrible shooting percentages and knee issues?

The Team: Since Westbrook is such a ball dominant PG, this means taking the ball out of Blake’s efficient hands, where he had really improved his game last year. While hogging that ball is forte is slashing and finishing at the rim or slashing and kicking it out to shooters. Something that seems destined to fail with Andre Drummond clogging the paint and no shooters on the outside. I feel like this aspect of the trade isn’t being talked about enough, especially when you consider you would be losing, even more, shooting with what you would have to trade to get him here. I.e., Kennard, Snell, draft picks.

The Trade: I don’t see the Detroit Pistons outbidding anyone without giving up multiple first-round picks with Kennard and/or Sekou Doumbouya, as well with some lesser important attachments to match the monies like Reggie or Snell. For me, it’s not worth it at that contract, but if we’re talking trade, I definitely wouldn’t give up any first-round picks, Kennard or Sekou. Which means I’m not getting him.

Just when we’re starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel of our current contract hell and just after two impressive offseasons with Ed Stefanski running the show, I’m very interested in seeing what this new Front Office could do with real money to spend. Reggie’s and maybe even Andre’s (if they don’t extend him) contracts are off the books in 2021, that’s when it gets genuinely entertaining. We would never be able to see what Stefanski could do if given a real opportunity if this Westbrook trade goes through, and I think we would all end up wishing we could have.

By the way, the offseason of 2021 also happens to be to most attractive free agent class in a long, long time.