The Detroit Pistons are in the midst of revamping their roster ahead of next season, but they are far from done. Even though the depth chart looks very different from the way it did at the end of last season, the Pistons still have some work to do.
The top priority is obviously to re-sign Jalen Duren. Once the moratorium is lifted on Monday afternoon, we will have a better idea of where things stand in Duren's restricted free agency. However, the expectation is that the All-Star center will return to Detroit.
Even then, the Pistons should continue to add to their roster. The backcourt is crowded, and the frontcourt lacks depth and quality. Essentially turning Isaiah Stewart into Isaiah Joe created a roster imbalance that the Pistons have to fix.
Rui Hachimura should remain a Pistons target in free agency
The power forward is the most clear need. The Tobias Harris-John Collins swap is understandable. The Pistons wanted to get younger and give Cade Cunningham another pick-and-roll partner. Yet, Collins is now the only traditional power forward on the roster. The Pistons would be wise to add another reliable option there, and Rui Hachimura stands above all the realistic options.
Hachimura is one of the best remaining free agents. The 28-year-old reportedly has multiple suitors on the market, with Jake Fischer and Marc Stein mentioning the Nets, Warriors, and the Timberwolves as potential landing spots.
Just because the Pistons landed Collins in free agency shouldn't take them out of the Hachimura sweepstakes. Previously, there were rumors of Detroit's interest in the Japanese forward, but the buzz has died down in recent days. With the quality free agent options quickly dwindling, it behooves the Pistons to consider the former Laker as a target again.
Detroit has the financial flexibility to make a competitive offer for Hachimura. They can offer him the non-taxpayer mid-level exception starting at $15 million. That should be more than enough to get him to Detroit, even if it's a shorter-term deal.
The Pistons can also execute a sign-and-trade using Caris LeVert, Duncan Robinson, or Kevin Huerter to acquire Hachimura. This would also help balance out the roster.
Hachimura has made over 40% of his threes in each of the last three seasons. He has established himself as one of the better shooters of his position, albeit on a lower volume. He is also playoff-proven, having made 51.6% of his threes on two makes per game in 41 playoff appearances. He has consistently increased his scoring output in the playoffs compared to his regular-season numbers.
The veteran combo forward does little else other than shoot and score, but he is not a liability in any one area. He can hold his own defensively thanks to his positional size. Plus, the Pistons have enough talent to do everything else that Hachimura can focus on being a complementary shot creator and shot maker on the wing.
Rather than paying LeVert and Huerter a combined $23 million next season, giving some of that to Hachimura is a better use of resources. Whether GM Trajan Langdon agrees remains to be seen, but it's clear that the Pistons have to make more moves than just bring Duren back.
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