The Detroit Pistons may look to upgrade their power forward position in free agency, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe. With the team on the brink of the playoffs this season, they will likely look to add extra pieces this summer to become a more legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference. According to Lowe, two potential targets for that upgrade are the New Orleans Pelicans’ Ryan Anderson and the Houston Rockets’ Donatas Motiejunas (h/t Pro Basketball Talk for the transcription):
They want a four in free agency this summer, the Pistons, really badly. They’re going to look at Stan’s old friend Ryan Anderson. I’ve heard they’re hot on Motiejunas from Houston who’s always hurt. So, who knows how hot they actually are?
Anderson, who has been a part of numerous rumors already, will be part of the speculation with regards to the Pistons for a long time. The prototypical stretch four, Anderson played under Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy in Orlando during some of the Magic’s best seasons. He was a huge part of that as he spaced the floor around Dwight Howard, something that Van Gundy will likely attempt to recreate in Detroit with Andre Drummond. There have been slight rumors about the Pistons trading for Anderson but as he is an impending free agent and his addition alone will not make the Pistons contenders, it does not make sense for them to send back assets to get him.
Motiejunas, on the other hand, does not make much sense to me. As Lowe pointed out, he is perennially injured and that’s not going to cut it for a team needing consistent play. Additionally, he is not a great three point shooter and he does his best work in the post. That’s not something the Pistons need, nor is it something they should give big money for. If the Pistons see him as an offensive hub for the bench unit, however, that could make some sense.
