The Whiteboard: Troy Weaver’s first job as GM is to fix Pistons mess

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Troy Weaver, who was announced as the Detroit Pistons‘ new general manager on Thursday and has reportedly agreed to a four-year deal with the team, has an unenviable task ahead of him.

As with any new job, it’s important to get one’s bearings, pay diligent attention in order to learn the tricks of the trade … oh and yeah, salvage one of the worst roster situations in basketball right now.

Given the civil unrest in our country and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that America has decided to ignore for some reason, it’s hard to care much about the NBA‘s long-awaited return, let alone this kind of under-the-radar appointment for a team that won’t even be participating in the Orlando bubble.

Then again, that sense of disregard for the Pistons — their only saving grace from a status of pure ignominy in the public eye — is all too familiar, regardless of the larger social and health issues facing the nation at present.

The reason? Detroit’s complete lack of established talent makes it hard for anyone in the Motor City to care about the team, much less anyone outside the state of Michigan.

Fixing that situation and repairing the image of “De-troit Basketball” is the first objective for the newly hired Weaver, who spent 12 years as a front office executive with the Oklahoma City Thunder and is now the ninth Black GM in the league. His aptitude for player personnel decisions made him highly regarded as one of the “next GM” candidates for some time, and he’s finally getting his shot with the Pistons after the Washington Wizards passed him up last year.

Detroit should feel good about his ability to evaluate young talent, since he played a significant role in the drafting of players like Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Serge Ibaka during his time in OKC. That’s been an issue in recent years, particularly during Stan Van Gundy’s reign.

Perhaps the best news, though, is the Pistons’ salary cap situation really clears up this offseason. The deadweight contracts of Reggie Jackson (bought out of his $17.3 million already), Brandon Knight ($15.6 million), John Henson ($9.7 million), Josh Smith (!!!) and Markieff Morris (bought out of his minimum deal) all come off the books. Langston Galloway has been a useful role player, but his $7.3 million expiring deal frees up further space.

All that maneuvering room can be a blessing and a curse, especially for a team with no established identity or franchise star. Even with Blake Griffin’s $36.8 million on the books for next season, the Pistons have the capital to make a big play in free agency. The problem is, nobody has reason to want to play in Detroit right now — a notion that may not be lost on some of Detroit’s own players.

The top priority this summer will be striking the right deal to re-sign Christian Wood. At 24 years old, Wood came on strong as the starting center after the Andre Drummond trade, posting 22.8 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game on .562/.400/.757 shooting splits in that 13-game span. Even for the season, and despite a wavering role, he still averaged a respectable 13.1 points, 6.3 boards and 0.9 blocks in just 21.4 minutes per game on .567/.386/.744 shooting.

With his 20-10 production, youth, ability to stretch the floor and station as the best young prospect Detroit has right now, bringing him back is Weaver’s first challenge. Doing so at a price that isn’t a massive overpay due to the Pistons’ current lack of leverage is his second.

Assuming Tony Snell opts in for $12.2 million (he’s not getting that money elsewhere, unless he really prefers to leave Detroit and somehow finds a multi-year deal elsewhere), the only other returning players of note will be Griffin, Derrick Rose ($7.7 million), Luke Kennard ($5.3 million), and Sekou Doumbouya ($3.4 million). It’s important, then, to not bog down the cap sheet with Wood’s new figure, especially when Griffin’s albatross of a contract hits that $39 million player option for 2021-22 (which he’d be foolish to decline).

Weaver will have plenty of minute decisions to make as well, evaluating youngsters such as Bruce Brown Jr. (non-guaranteed contract next year), Khyri Thomas (same) and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (team option), who were all mundane additions under prior management.

Mostly, though, his first year or two on the job will be judged by the Wood negotiations; being able to find a workable deal to move Griffin without attaching too many sweeteners; turning all that wiggle room into a competent roster that will put butts in the seats of the new yet empty Little Caesars Arena; picking up the right pieces from the previous regime; holding his first draft as GM, with a top-10 pick, in one of the most unconventional draft process we’ve ever seen due to COVID-19; navigating the waters of Kennard’s restricted free agency in 2021; and generally putting Detroit back on the path to respectability.

So, you know, no big sweat. What a warm welcome for the new guy!

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