The Detroit Pistons have a solid young core and a near-superstar after signing Josh Smith and despite missing out on trades with the Celtics for Rajon Rondo and the Bucks for Brandon Jennings, Joe Dumars is excited in what he has with Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond.
The team went through some trade rumors this offseason and while Drummond was called untouchable, Greg Monroe was mentioned numerous times, but that isn't stopping him from having a great season next year. According to Pro Basketball Talk, Monroe said that he is happy to be a Piston and that any issues with trade rumors is something that he has brushed off already. Dumars said Smith and Drummond are untouchable and while Monroe could be moved for someone like Rondo or Jennings, it appears that those deals aren't coming.
The team has other moves to make if it can't pull off a trade and some options include Gary Neal, Mo Williams or Mike Miller, as they are some of the top free agents left on the market. The Spurs pulled back their qualifying offer for Neal, making him an unrestricted free agent and after averaging 9.5 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists for the Spurs last season, he could be a solid option on the bench. Neal is a solid player and he showed during the playoffs that he could be a force after dropping 24 points on 9-for-17 shooting from the field, including a 6-for-10 night from beyond the arc in Game 3 against the Heat.
Miller is another solid option as a shooter after he was released by the Miami Heat and although he averaged 4.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists last season, he was much better in the playoffs and shot over 60 percent over the final two rounds from the three point line and after signing Smith, the team will need that as he had a career worst year from beyond the arc for the Hawks. Another option could be Williams after he played with the Jazz and he had a solid season last year while averaging over 10 points and six assists and that could be big for Billups and Brandon Knight for support.
The team signed Smith to a four year, $56 million contract to sway him away from the Atlanta Hawks and now he will be the centerpiece of the offense as the team tries to rebound from some tough years in the East after winning a championship years ago with Chauncey Billups, who now returns to the franchise.