The Detroit Pistons finally made their move to add more shooting when they acquired Isaiah Joe from the Oklahoma City Thunder for two-second round picks. The veteran shooting guard fits the Pistons like a glove, filling an important need. Even though he may not have the name recognition as some of the other reported Pistons targets, Joe will give Detroit a major boost on offense without sacrificing their defensive identity.
What the acquisition of Joe means for the rest of the Pistons' offseason will be fascinating to watch. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Detroit has already shifted its priorities in free agency and the trade market.
Per Scotto, the chatter around Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell "has lessened over the past few days following the Joe acquisition".
Norman Powell is less likely to be a Pistons option now
Powell emerged as a top target for Detroit after the Miami Heat traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Miami isn't expected to have the financial resources to re-sign Powell. The Pistons, who have the flexibility to sign him in free agency or the resources to sign-and-trade for him, were a natural landing spot. With the arrival of Joe, however, there is less of a need for an offense-first scoring guard.
Leonard had been a pipe dream for Pistons fans for a while. Yet, the Clippers don't seem too interested in dealing him, and Kawhi is reportedly unwilling to sign an extension in Detroit. Therefore, it's not surprising for GM Trajan Langdon to start looking elsewhere.
Before trading for Joe, the Pistons moved up in the draft to select Ebuka Okorie, a dynamic, undersized point guard. They also traded Isaiah Stewart to create more cap space to make more offseason moves. This means that the Pistons have lost size, physicality, and frontcourt depth so far.
Re-signing Tobias Harris will certainly help, but Detroit needs more frontcourt depth. The roster is slightly imbalanced as the Pistons have more guards than forwards and bigs. Therefore, one can expect Detroit to target bigger, more physical players rather than players like Powell or Tyler Herro, for that matter.
This player obviously needs to be able to shoot. This is what makes Trey Murphy an appealing option. In terms of free agents, Dean Wade, John Collins, and Rui Hachimura stand out as players who fit this mold.
Targeting one of these options rather than going after Powell or Herro seems more likely. Whether Langdon agrees remains to be seen, but Pistons fans should get ready for the next couple of busy days.
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