The Detroit Pistons get a deal done before Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline, sending guard Delon Wright to the Sacramento Kings for Cory Joseph and two second-round picks, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. One of the second-rounders originally belonged to the Lakers and will convey this year, while the other is one of Sacramento’s own picks and will convey in 2024. Wright has moved around quite a bit in recent years. After starting his career with the Toronto Raptors, he was dealt to Memphis as part of the Marc Gasol trade. He then landed with the Dallas Mavericks in a sign-and-trade agreement and this offseason was dealt to the Pistons in a salary-clearing move.
Now, the Pistons are trading him again largely for financial purposes. Wright’s $8.5 million salary for next season is fully guaranteed. Joseph is owed $12.6 million next season, but only $2.4 million is guaranteed. In essence, the Pistons are getting two second-round picks to save $6 million by moving Wright. Considering all of the dead money on their books as a result of the Blake Griffin buyout, that’s a pretty nice piece of business. Detroit should now be far enough below the salary cap this offseason to spend more than the mid-level exception in free agency.
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The Kings, meanwhile, get to take a flier on Wright, who is still a reasonably young and effective player. At 28 years old, he is averaging a career-high 10.5 points per game this season. His poor shooting limits his offensive effectiveness, but he is a great athlete that defends both guard spots and can get to the basket. The Kings already have Buddy Hield and Tyrese Haliburton in the backcourt, so they have some shooting to spare.
It’s hardly a blockbuster, but it’s a pretty standard deadline deal between two non-playoff teams with different priorities. The Pistons get themselves a bit of flexibility. The Kings add a player they might like to keep as a long-term reserve. In that sense, it’s a win-win deal.
