Pistons: Where does the Bruce Brown trade leave them?

After the Detroit Pistons began the 2020 offseason by trading Bruce Brown to the Brooklyn Nets, we examine what that means for their future plans.

Detroit Pistons fans woke up to quite the surprise to begin the offseason, with new general manager Troy Weaver trading away young combo guard Bruce Brown to the Brooklyn Nets:

The University of Miami product showed promise in his first two seasons in the Motor City. Surrounded by a struggling team, Brown consistently gave maximum effort every minute he was on the floor, endearing himself to Detroit’s blue-collar fans.

The trouble with Brown has always been what position he will play. He’s shown some ability at point guard based on his ability to get to the paint and finish at a decent clip for his size, but he’s certainly better suited as a secondary playmaker. His 3-point shooting improved dramatically in his second season thanks to his 41.7 percent shooting from the corner. And he’s shown an ability to cut off the ball and provide some movement to an offense often desperate for it.

Defensively, Brown was terrific at times. He was relentless in pressuring ball-handlers, sometimes to his detriment. Harnessing that and learning more of the nuances of defenses will determine just how valuable he is long-term.

But Brown is still a bit of a tweener. He’s more of a combo guard with legitimate questions about his shooting and that’s not the greatest recipe for success. He can provide some definite value for a Brooklyn team who’s looking for off-ball options, but Detroit needs more playmakers.

In return, the Pistons acquired Dzanan Musa, a 6’9 small forward with less than 600 minutes of NBA experience. Musa has been an even worse shooter than Brown, but he has the size and raw scoring ability that Detroit has been needing in recent years.

Sending Brown to Brooklyn helps clear up more minutes at shooting guard for Luke Kennard and Svi Mykhailiuk and takes off the table another extension decision next summer when Brown will be a restricted free agent. It may also signify a desire for Troy Weaver to build a bigger roster, something that has hindered Detroit’s success the past two years.

It may also provide a free look into Weaver’s thought process for the upcoming draft. The Pistons have been linked to Iowa State guard Tyrese Haliburton who is also a combo guard, albeit more skilled than Brown. Or perhaps Detroit will look to target a more pure point guard like Killian Hayes. But trading a guard with chops at point guard would seem to indicate that Weaver and Casey have different plans for how they view the Detroit Pistons’ backcourt.