Sometimes the smartest move is the one you never make.
That’s the lesson the Pistons can take from Peyton Watson, a player who was briefly tied to Detroit in rumors last offseason before Cleveland went all in. The Cavaliers, trying to win now, sent out Max Strus and an unprotected first-round pick for Watson, then handed him an $88 million contract. It was the kind of aggressive swing that can look bold in July and reckless by November.
Detroit went a different direction. Instead of chasing the splashiest name, the Pistons handled their own business, kept building in-house, and added role players who could shoot.
So far, that approach has worked just fine. While other East teams made moves that were supposed to push them past Detroit, the Pistons have opened 6-1.
Watson was always going to come with questions. He was a restricted free agent Denver was not expected to keep, and even in his best stretch last season, the production came with caveats.
He played only 54 games, and his numbers were inflated by one hot shooting run rather than steady consistency. Cleveland still bet on the defense and the upside.
That bet has not paid off yet.
Watson is averaging four fewer points per game than he did last season, and the shooting has fallen off hard: 37 percent from the floor and 16 percent from 3-point range. It’s early, and he still has time to settle in, but he’s already on the injured list and is expected to miss Cleveland’s game tonight with a hamstring injury.
For Detroit, the bigger point is simpler than the box score. The Pistons already have a player with a similar profile in Ron Holland, who has started the season better after a mini-hot streak of three games and is making a fraction of Watson’s salary. Holland has missed only five games in his entire career, and he’s three years younger, which gives Detroit a real argument that he could end up the better player, or at least right there with him.
That’s why Watson feels less like a missed opportunity and more like a warning sign. Teams chasing a “final” piece can get tempted into paying too much for too little certainty. Trajan Langdon, at least for now, is staying patient and waiting for a move that carries less risk.
In Other News...
Pistons Keep Getting Validation For Letting Isaiah Stewart Go
Isaiah Stewarts move out of Detroit has only added to the sense that the Pistons made a calculated bet when they reshaped their frontcourt. Since landing with the Grizzlies, Stewart has been putting up career-best production and turning in the kind of nights that remind people why he was such a fixture in Detroits rotation, while the Pistons have kept moving forward with a defense that has been one of the early stories of their season.
Paul Reed has been part of that equation on the Pistons side, giving them more of the energy and rim protection they needed without forcing them to sacrifice the identity they wanted to build. The trade also gave Detroit financial flexibility, and so far the bigger takeaway is that the team has not had to pay a defensive price for making the change. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Already Face A Big Julius Randle Decision
Julius Randle is already at the center of another roster conversation in Brooklyn after landing there in the multi-team deal that also pulled in the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves. What looked like an immediate boost for the Nets has quickly turned into a bigger question about fit, timing and how much appetite the franchise has for keeping a veteran on a pricey player option as it maps out its next move.
For teams around the league, including the Pistons, that uncertainty is exactly what makes this situation worth watching. Brooklyn has not made anything official beyond the trade itself, but the possibility of flipping Randle again would put a proven frontcourt piece back on the market and give interested teams another chance to weigh whether his contract lines up with their own direction. [Read more 🡒]
Duncan Robinson Is Becoming Too Important For The Pistons To Ignore
With injuries thinning the rotation, Duncan Robinson has quickly become more than a useful spacer for the Pistons. He is averaging 17.9 points per game on 44% shooting early in the season, and his 24-point night against the Charlotte Hornets was another reminder that Detroit has found a player who can do more than just stand in the corner and wait for a pass.
J.B. Bickerstaff has pointed to Robinsons off-ball movement and defensive work as part of what has made him so valuable on both ends, and the expanded role has followed. He is averaging 30 minutes per game and leads the Pistons with 2.0 steals per game, a sign that his influence is showing up far beyond the box score in a stretch where Detroit needs every reliable piece it can get. [Read more 🡒]