Detroit Pistons: Derrick Rose trade means more room for youth movement

The Detroit Pistons pulled the trigger on one of the more inevitable trades the NBA had to offer on Sunday, sending Derrick Rose to the New York Knicks in exchange for Dennis Smith Jr. and a 2021 second-round draft pick.

This move wasn’t some exciting blockbuster by any means, but it meant different things for both teams. In the case of the Knicks, it reunited Rose with former Chicago Bulls (and now Knicks) head coach Tom Thibodeau.

Trading Derrick Rose opens up opportunities for young Detroit Pistons guards

For the Pistons, this trade means a few things. First, they assured themselves of not losing him for nothing, and whether Smith ends up being an NBA player or not, that second-round pick has some value.

Second, it opens up pathways to minutes for some young Piston guards who have been kept on the fringes. Namely, those guards are Saben Lee and Frank Jackson, and their opportunity comes in the form of baptism by fire.

They aren’t going to be starting in the NBA (aside from the direst of emergencies) any time soon, if ever, and their ideal roles will probably come in the form of being third point guards. Whether that be in Detroit or elsewhere, the time is now to see if they can sink or swim with added pressure and opportunity.

With Rose gone and Killian Hayes recovering from a torn labrum, de facto backup point guard Delon Wright has been elevated to starter. Lee and Jackson can battle it out for the role of overmatched backup, while Rodney McGruder plays a part in this positional competition as well.

Third point guards won’t win you championships, but figuring out which players you want to have on your rebuilding squad is important for other reasons. Whether it be fit or chemistry, work ethic or energy, the spotlight will be on these players in new ways with Derrick Rose bound for New York.

There’s also the possibility that Dennis Smith Jr. will win minutes in the rotation. It’s a best-case scenario since he does have the pedigree of a top-10 draft pick, going ninth in the 2017 NBA draft to the Dallas Mavericks. His presence gives the Pistons two top-10 picks from that class as he joins Josh Jackson, the fourth overall pick.

Rose’s departure won’t do much to open up opportunities for Sekou Doumbouya or Saddiq Bey, two players who currently reside behind Blake Griffin and Jerami Grant (and Bey behind Josh Jackson in some backcourt configurations) in the frontcourt depth chart, but that’s another issue for another day.

In the meantime, with Rose on his way out and Hayes not yet returned from injury, the battle to see which of these fringe rotation guards actually belong in the NBA will heat up when the Detroit Pistons get back into action on Tuesday against the Brooklyn Nets and former teammate Bruce Brown.

The Pistons won’t be more competitive with Rose gone, at least not by much, but his departure does hasten the progression for the back end up the roster. On this team, as it looks to build towards its future, that’s a good thing.