Detroit Pistons: New general manager Troy Weaver has hit the restart button

The Detroit Pistons officially hit the restart button with a huge first round of the NBA draft. New general manager Troy Weaver has made this his team.

The Detroit Pistons have been in more need of a reboot than any team in the NBA for a long time. From one season to the next, their roster has been laden down with overpriced contracts and players with ties too deep to one regime or another, like Andre Drummond or Reggie Jackson to Stan Van Gundy’s administration.

Sometimes players have earned that depth of loyalty, and sometimes it’s forced because their contracts are too large to move, or perhaps the particular regime has invested too much of their own energy into the player in question.

It’s clear in new general manager Troy Weaver’s first few days of action that no such entanglements are in play for his Detroit Pistons. Hours before trades were even legal on Monday, Weaver traded guard Bruce Brown to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Dzanan Mousa and a 2021 second-round pick.

This was a jarring trade because Brown is a fan favorite and on a cheap contract, and it seemed as though he would be a virtual lock to play next season with the Pistons. Swapping him for a likely worse player seemed like an odd and unnecessary move, but it also appeared that maybe it was the first step of several.

Indeed, shortly before the NBA draft began on Wednesday, the Pistons traded a future first-round pick to the Houston Rockets for Trevor Ariza and the 16th pick in this year’s draft. Ariza will likely be traded or waived due to the nonguaranteed nature of his contract, but the draft pick is the main appeal in this case.

As we know now, the Detroit Pistons made what looks to be a fantastic selection with the No. 7 pick, drafting Killian Hayes. Then with that newly-acquired 16th pick, they pulled off a stunner when they drafted center Isaiah Stewart. It seemed like a bit of a reach, but sometimes you’ve just got to get your guy, especially when the tiers between players are as undefined as they this year.

The trade of the night came shortly thereafter when Weaver sent Luke Kennard, another fan favorite, to the LA Clippers and received the 19th pick in the draft as well as Rodney McGruder. Also involved in the deal, the Clippers sent Landry Shamet to the Brooklyn Nets.

This one knocked the wind out of Pistons fans, and it signaled that for the first time since Chauncey Billups got traded for Allen Iverson, no beloved players on the roster is safe. It’s Troy Weaver’s team, and he’s remaking it in his image right off the bat. That’s a welcome thing, because the Detroit Pistons have had no image at all in a decade.

As it happens, the Pistons used that 19th pick to draft Saddiq Bey, possibly a steal at that spot.

While the first round is nearly over, Weaver isn’t done for the night. The Pistons just traded cash and future considerations to the Utah Jazz for Tony Bradley and the 38th pick.

It’s a brand new day in Detroit, and Troy Weaver is crafting a brand new creation with his Pistons.