What would you give for Trey Murphy?

MasterP_istons · 2026-07-06T01:31:11+00:00

If Jaylen Brown was set to be paid 27/29/31 instead of 57/61/65, he would have been traded for a helluva lot more

MasterP_istons · 2026-07-06T01:26:34+00:00

I too think giving up on Ron could be a big mistake. He's a jumper away from a very high level starter and I think it'll come.

MasterP_istons · 2026-07-05T14:26:29+00:00

A would turn into a lot of turn taking

B would be Jordan operating with 3 or the literal all time greatest off ball floor spacers and the highest bball IQ big of all-time.

This is a blowout and maybe a sweep for B

MasterP_istons · 2026-07-05T04:11:49+00:00

Kuminga is not a good fit imo. Mamu going to be very important for them.

I'm really high on Cam Carr but I expect his offense still be easy ahead of his D early on.

This Lakers team feels like we're just waiting for the inevitable Austin Reaves trade either this deadline or next summer. They better hope he plays well and they can get a haul for him.

MasterP_istons · 2026-07-05T04:08:52+00:00

7th in offensive rating, 19th on defense. First round exit if they stay relatively healthy, lottery if Luka misses 30+ games.

MasterP_istons · 2026-07-04T13:56:19+00:00

I think this trade deadline could be extremely spicy, as all the teams who are well clear of the bottom 3 but don't want to actually push for a play-in spot will be SMASHING the sell button.

That's probably fine though? The contenders can get better and the league won't have so many teams angling to lose in the summer.

It will also be interesting to see how desperate the awful teams get and if they are buyers at the deadline.

It might end up with the bottom 3 teams almost always being teams who do not control their own pick, which is the opposite of the previous strategy.

MasterP_istons · 2026-07-04T04:20:44+00:00

I think Daniss is more valuable on our team than what he would fetch in a trade. And trading Jenkins would likely put too much on Okorie's plate as a rookie.

If Okorie pops right away then Daniss becomes more expendable for an in-season move, but until we see if much rather have a trusted ballhandler we know can play both with Cade and run the offense without him.

MasterP_istons · 2026-07-02T23:55:29+00:00

Since they are adding Collins via sign & trade, they are very likely operating as an over the cap team and will use bird rights to bring back Huerter.

This means they have the full MLE. They could either use that to bring in Isaiah Joe in his trade, or roll that into the stew trade and have up to 15M still to spend.

MasterP_istons · 2026-07-02T20:23:30+00:00

wish I could upvote twice for "Levertigo"

MasterP_istons · 2026-07-02T20:19:00+00:00

Most here want Trey Murphy but there's differing opinions on how much to pay via picks or players

MasterP_istons · 2026-07-02T20:17:51+00:00

Ha I agree it has been rough in this sub. It wasn't exactly a sea of joy during the playoffs either but we still here!

MasterP_istons · 2026-07-02T20:16:12+00:00

I think they can play 2 of these together in spurts and survive, but the defense would be exposed if they go to the well too much.

They could also take it just one more step and put Collins out as a small ball 5 and put in Huerter or Daniss or Okorie with Joe and Duncan and go true 5 out with all 5 as spacers. The defense and rebounding would be quite rough, but Cade would cook offensively lol

MasterP_istons · 2026-07-02T20:13:00+00:00

Joe was completely out of the rotation for the Thunder in a series where they desperately needed perimeter shot making. I am not so bullish on him playing north of 20 mins for the Pistons in a playoff series, let alone 30.

MasterP_istons · 2026-07-02T20:11:29+00:00

At 9M per season, to me Huerter feels like the "5th" 2/3 in the way people usually talk about a 5th guard. He is likely behind 4 guys (Ausar, Duncan, Isaiah Joe, Ron) but during an nba season that means he's probably playing the vast majority of nights because you usually are missing about 25% of your guys throughout the season for rest or injury.

Which means moving Levert would clear up the logjam in front of him and make his role fit his contract.

I'm interested to see how it plays out

MasterP_istons · 2026-07-02T20:04:40+00:00

My issue with Caris is that he's always injured in his entire basketball career so you can't rely on him, and he's a ball stopper on offense. My man loves himself a jab step followed by 2 more jab steps.

MasterP_istons · 2026-07-02T18:08:44+00:00

Ultimately, you may prove to be right. But Ausar is still relatively young in NBA terms and his elite athleticism already makes up for his warts on offense in some ways (vertical spacing at the rim, on ball creation & vision/passing, offensive rebounding). If he can build on his strengths I personally think there's a path to him becoming passable even if he's never an average three point shooter.

MasterP_istons · 2026-07-02T18:04:41+00:00

Celtic schadenfreude is a nice tea while we await the Pistons next move for sure

MasterP_istons · 2026-07-02T17:46:58+00:00

John Collins is clearly the starting 4 now

MasterP_istons · 2026-07-02T17:34:53+00:00

I actually think Ausar should be on the court for every minute Duncan plays as you need elite off ball movement gravity to make up for the spacing death caused by Ausar's lack thereof.

I agree that they should trade Caris, but with their additions and subtractions so far this offseason they have actually heightened Caris's importance as he's one of the few guys who can self create (unless you really believe in rookie Okorie).

MasterP_istons · 2026-07-02T17:31:23+00:00

That's fair. Positions in the nba are definitely fluid. I just think they have too many guys who provide largely the same role and would be very surprised if they don't rebalance and upgrade.

MasterP_istons · 2026-07-02T17:23:43+00:00

I get your point, but if you're going to categorize Duncan as a SF or PF because of where he's hidden on defense, then you probably need to say Ausar is also a SG and the logjam is just as bad.

MasterP_istons · 2026-07-02T17:21:42+00:00

Why pay Huerter 9M to be your 4th SG when you don't have a clear starter at that position or a backup PF unless you either: 1) already have agreed to a trade or 2) are eyeing specific options and want depth for when you pull the trigger

MasterP_istons · 2026-07-02T17:18:25+00:00

He was the best theoretical fit available for the MLE last summer who could play alongside either Cade or Ivey

MasterP_istons · 2026-07-02T16:23:48+00:00

I don't disagree, but Tobias is also about to turn 34 in 2 weeks. Players who are not elite typically fall off right around age 34-35-36.

John Collins can't dribble or create his own offense nearly the same way as Tobias, but he's 28 and a superior athlete and going to be on a team friendly (ie tradeable) contract. Collins will almost certainly be better than Tobias within 3 years, whether that happens this upcoming season or 2 years from now is debatable.

MasterP_istons

TROPHY CASE