Stan Van Gundy building future contender in Detroit
Keep track of all the deals going down and rumors percolating on trade deadline day with theScore's NBA trade tracker.
Don't look now, but Stan Van Gundy has reshaped the Detroit Pistons from a broken roster with bloated contracts into a reconfiguration reminiscent of his vaunted Orlando Magic teams.
Van Gundy added his stretch-four of the future in Tobias Harris on Tuesday, then followed that with a coup to grab Donatas Motiejunas at the trade deadline from the Houston Rockets.
The deals cost the Pistons just three veterans and a protected first-round pick in 2016.
The Pistons' top six now includes All-Star center Andre Drummond, budding star Reggie Jackson, athletic 3-and-D wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, multi-dimensional forward Stanley Johnson, go-to scorer Harris, and skilled power forward Motiejunas.
In addition, the Pistons boast Marcus Morris, another versatile forward who has filled in admirably on the wings. Finding minutes in Detroit's crowded rotation might be tough, but that's a good problem to have.
The Pistons can field a host of defensively solid, interchangeable players who are all long and athletic. Save for Caldwell-Pope, every player boasts a wingspan of 6-foot-11 or longer. Every player, with the exception of Drummond, can shoot from distance.
The Pistons, as presently constructed, are already in the hunt for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Their starting unit ranks top 10 league-wide in net rating, but their bench couldn't hold leads. With Harris and Motiejunas added to the fold, the Pistons should have the firepower to carry the second unit.
The most terrifying proposition: they're all under team control and under the age of 26. Their timelines are all aligned, allowing for the core to grow at once, and the Pistons hold restricted-free-agency rights on every player.
In hindsight, Van Gundy's overhaul has been drastic. The Pistons opened last season with Josh Smith, Brandon Jennings, Tayshaun Prince, and Jodie Meeks as four of their five top-paid players. That core opened the year 3-19.
A year later, the Pistons are 27-27, and their future outlook is as bright as ever.