The Detroit Pistons made the aggressive move the fanbase has been waiting for on draft night. After clearly identifying Stanford's Ebuka Okorie as their preferred selection, the Pistons traded three future second-round picks to the Grizzlies to move up four spots and ensured they ended up with their top target.
Even though many had other guards, like Labaron Philon and Christian Anderson, ahead of Okorie on their big boards, it's difficult to judge the Pistons front office for their move. Drafting outside the top half of the first round is a crapshoot and Okorie could very well end up as the best player drafted in that range.
Since the Pistons desperately need Okorie's shot creation and scoring, they will likely give him an opportunity right away.
The problem is, they have to make some moves in the backcourt to create room for Okorie. With a crowded guard rotation consisting of Cade Cunningham, Daniss Jenkins, Marcus Sasser, and Caris LeVert, something has to give. The player who has become the most expendable after Okorie's arrival is Sasser, and he should be considered the most likely departure.
Marcus Sasser will be the odd man out in the Pistons backcourt
Sasser is heading into his fourth season in Detroit. He was drafted late first-round in the 2023 NBA Draft as a similar prospect to Okorie. He was older at the time of the draft and was more of a pure shooter than an all-around scorer like Okorie, but the two players are of the same archetype: undersized, offense-first point guards.
The NBA has shifted towards more size and intensity over the last couple of years. Teams have shifted away from undersized players in most positions. Fortunately, the Pistons are able to put out good positional size in most lineups. Yet, even they can't afford to have both Okorie and Sasser in the rotation.
Burning two roster spots on two players with such similar strengths and weaknesses makes little sense. Sasser will turn 26 before next season and largely fell out of rotation last season. He emerged as an option against the Cavs in the second round, but he has mostly been an afterthought in his third season.
Sasser makes $5.1 million next season. The Pistons could attach his salary to Isaiah Stewart and/or Caris LeVert to trade for a better fit, ideally on the wing. Sasser may have become redundant in Detroit, but he is still a capable backup. There will be teams willing to take a chance on him and bring him in as a depth option.
Okorie's arrival is the first offseason move by the Pistons. It will lead to some reshuffling of the roster, and Sasser will, unfortunately, be the odd man out.
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