‘I’m Not Going to Detroit’

Highlights

Austin Reaves shut down Pistons fans at a golf event, indicating he won’t join Detroit.
The Lakers rely on Reaves’ shooting for spacing and need more shooters for LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The Pistons face a tough rebuild with a poor record and need to find coaching consistency.

The 2024 offseason is officially here. Fans of every team are putting their general manager hats on to put their favorite squad in the best position to succeed in next year’s campaign. Yesterday, at a golf tournament, a spectator tried to convince Lakers shooting guard Austin Reaves to play for the Detroit Pistons. “We need you on the Pistons, Austin,” said the fan sternly. Reaves responded with a short and sweet retort.

“Nah. I’m not going to Detroit.” – Austin Reaves

Spectators around the tee box laughed, as Reaves prepared to take his tee shot.

If Reaves did go to the rebuilding Pistons, it would have to be via a trade. He is under contract with the Los Angeles Lakers for three more seasons with a player option in his third year. Reaves is owed $53.8 million for the contract. Los Angeles’ General Manager Rob Pelinka could make a surprising move, but a trade involving Reaves is doubtful.

At 26 years old, he is crucial to the Lakers’ future due to his strong shooting from beyond the arc. He attempted 5.1 triples per game and knocked down 1.9 per contest, ranking second and third, respectively, on his squad. He finished at 36.7 percent for the season.

Los Angeles struggled to keep up with their opponents from deep all season long.

Los Angeles Lakers 2023-2024 Three-Point Shooting Stats
Category	Value	Rank
3PM	11.8	24
3PA	31.4	28
3PT%	37.7	8

If the Lakers plan to go for another championship with LeBron James and Anthony Davis as the franchise superstars, they need more shooting to space the floor. When defenses collapse on James’ drives, he is one of the best in the league at kicking the ball out for quality three-point looks. Shooters also allow Davis to work more freely in the post. Reaves gives the Lakers’ stars room to operate to the best of their abilities.

Detroit’s Tough Spot

It is not surprising Reaves quickly denied the idea of playing for the Pistons

Even though the Lakers suffered an early first-round exit in the playoffs this season, their situation is a lot better than Detroit’s. The Pistons finished dead last in the NBA with a 14-68 record and lost 28 consecutive games in the early portion of the campaign. They had no luck in the draft lottery to begin this offseason, falling to the fifth pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Detroit last made the playoffs in 2019, but the Milwaukee Bucks quickly swept that opening series. The front office has not found the right pieces around Cade Cunningham to lift the franchise out of the lottery. Detroit hired Monty Williams as head coach to oversee the rebuild, but he was fired on Wednesday. The new President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon needs to find continuity from a coaching perspective before digging the franchise out of this hole.

Ausar Thompson, Jaden Ivey, and Jalen Duren project to join Cunningham with bright futures. Pistons fans are hoping they reach their potential sooner rather than later.