The Detroit Pistons entered the summer with a clear need to revamp the roster. After flaming out early in the playoffs, the Pistons were facing pressure to upgrade the team, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
In GM Trajan Langdon's defense, the Pistons have been aggressive. They refused to stand pat in the draft, free agency, and the trade market.
The problem is, not all changes are positive ones. The Pistons made significant changes, but it's not clear whether they actually got better.
Pistons have failed to improve the roster so far this offseason
So far, the Pistons have turned Tobias Harris, Isaiah Stewart, and Marcus Sasser into Ebuka Okorie, Isaiah Joe, and John Collins. Sasser and Okorie could be considered a like-for-like swap, but whether Joe and Collins are better players overall than Harris and Stewart is in the eye of the beholder.
Harris was arguably the second-best player during Detroit's playoff run. He played high-level defense while providing solid offensive production. He has no real weaknesses and is capable of having a two-way impact.
Sure, he is older than Collins and could suffer age-related decline, but there is actually no guarantee that Collins will play at a higher level than Harris next season. Collins is a fine player on both ends of the floor, but he is not an elite shooter or a particularly good defensive player. He hasn't played in the second round of the playoffs in five seasons, so he is not a playoff-proven player, especially compared to Harris.
Stewart's departure will also hurt the Pistons. Detroit's willingness to let him go for financial reasons makes sense because they have Paul Reed as insurance. But, Stewart is a very good defensive player who helped Detroit lock down opponents' bench units.
Having Isaiah Joe in Stewart's salary slot is a better use of resources for the Pistons. Even though Stewart may be a better NBA player in a vacuum, Joe's skill set will be very helpful for the Pistons. However, one has to wonder whether the Pistons could and should have gotten a higher-level player than Joe. The veteran shooting guard is an elite shooter, but he is not a sure-fire starter.
Barring other moves, it's difficult to say that the Pistons' roster will look better next year than it did last season. The free agent market has dried up, and teams have mostly built out their rosters. Whether there is an opportunity for the Pistons to improve the roster between now and the start of the season is unclear.
The good thing is that Detroit still has its assets available. They didn't use any future first-round picks this summer. Keeping their powder dry will allow the Pistons to potentially make upgrades during the season. While that is a good sign, this is certainly not the offseason Pistons fans were hoping for. This could still change, but it's difficult to argue that the Pistons are closer to contention now than they were when their season ended in May.
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