The Detroit Pistons traded Caris LeVert on Tuesday night for Gary Harris and Taurean Prince. The motivation behind the move was financial, as the Pistons cleared more cap space to be able to sign Jalen Duren under the luxury tax line. The problem is, the Pistons currently don't have an open roster spot, which means that more moves are coming.
The Pistons currently have 15 players on the roster. In order to bring back Duren, at least one player has to go. Who are the top candidates?
More Pistons moves are on their way
This depends on whether GM Trajan Langdon has more tricks up his sleeve. If he is content starting the season with this core plus Duren, then the most likely departure candidates have to be Harris, Prince, Tolu Smith, and Chaz Lanier.
Those four also make the lowest salary on the team, making it easy for them to be traded. In fact, Smith's contract is not fully guaranteed until January, so it would be easy for the Pistons to move on from the 25-year-old big man.
The problem is, he is currently the third center on the roster after Isaiah Stewart's departure, and the Pistons need him. If he leaves, the Pistons may have to add a third-string center unless they think rookie Ugonna Onyenso, who is on a two-way contract, can play that role right away.
Harris or Prince would also be easy to move on from. They are on expiring contracts, making $3.8 million each. There should be plenty of teams willing to bring them in as capable veterans in an emergency backup role. Lanier, as a younger shooting guard with more upside, deserves a chance more than Harris or Prince.
The Pistons, however, can go in a different direction. It would be an uninspiring offseason if all the Pistons do the rest of the summer is moving on from one of the aforementioned names and re-signing Jalen Duren.
A bigger move may be in the cards. This could include moving on from Duncan Robinson, Kevin Huerter, or Ron Holland. It could also mean that two or more of Harris, Prince, Lanier, and Smith leave.
Free agency is bereft of talent at this point. The only way to add a difference-maker is through the trade market. The Pistons could make a consolidation trade involving any of the names above. They could bring back more salary than they send out right now in a trade since they have some cap space. Then, they could still sign Duren and go above the tax line.
Which direction the Pistons go remains to be seen, but they are clearly not done yet. It will be a fascinating next couple of weeks for Detroit.
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