Detroit Pistons: Romeo Weems Acquired By Motor City Cruise In Multi-Player Trade

With training camp set to open up next week, the Detroit Pistons’ G-League franchise, the Motor City Cruise, made a fairly significant four-player trade yesterday as new head coach Steve Scalzi works to shape his squad after their playoff berth in 2025-26. 

In a move to free up roster space while taking back a hometown product in return, the Cruise agreed to trade Charles Bediako, Quincy Olivari and Jordan Wright to the Rip City Remix in exchange for 24-year old forward Romeo Weems. 

Olivari averaged 14 points in just eight games for the Cruise last season and Wright hadn’t played with the squad since the year before due to overseas hooping obligations, but Bediako had a highly publicized return to the college ranks last season that sparked a great deal of controversy. 

As for Weems, his transition marks a return to the state of Michigan almost a decade in the making. As a youngster, Weems was a highly touted prospect at New Haven High School from his freshman season onward. Weems garnered a heavy volume of in-state and Midwest attention from major Division I programs right away, and he went on the win the Mr. Basketball of Michigan title in 2019 during his senior season after averaging 27.9 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 4.2 steals and 2.6 blocks per game. 

Before Weems found that elite level of success as a senior, Pistons Roundtable was actually present at the Reaching Higher Top 100 Showcase during the summer of 2016 when head was heading into his sophomore season. Weems’ head coach Tedaro France took some time to talk about what made the future Mr. Basketball-winner different than other top players. 

“Romeo has a very high basketball IQ and a great feel for the game,” France said. “He is a great leader both on and off the floor and has the ability to make everyone around him better. Being ranked 13th in the country by ESPN or being ranked No. 1 in his class in Michigan has not stopped him from putting in hard work each and every day. He is a very humble kid who is a tireless worker in the gym and weight room. He is one of the most coachable and humble kids I have ever coached. He is a great teammate and fierce competitor.”

Weems spent two seasons in the college ranks at DePaul, though he struggled to translate his game effectively on a nightly basis with intermittent flashes with a pair of 20-point games as a sophomore. For the most part, Weems averaged between seven and eight points and around five rebounds per game while at DePaul before declaring for the 2021 NBA Draft. Weems went undrafted and caught on with the Memphis Grizzlies during the Summer League, eventually working his way to their G-League squad, the Memphis Hustle. 

At first, Weems was signed as an affiliate player but broke through for the 2023-23 season with over 20 games under his belt. Weems went unprotected in the G-League expansion draft following that campaign, which allowed for the Rip City Remix to snag the 6-7 combo forward at just 21-years old. Over the last three seasons, Weems has logged 41 starts for the Remix and even though his playing time took a slight hit last year, his scoring per 36 is up alongside his rebounding numbers. 

Last season, Weems went off for 20 points (4-for-9 from downtown), eight rebounds, one steal and one block as the sixth-man for the Remix in their 117-98 win over the Sioux City Skyforce on Sunday, Jan. 11. In a reserve role, Weems chipped in as a dangerous floor spacer who made the Skyforce pay when left open from long-range. Weems also drove the paint and made smart decisions when working through contact on the night, so his performance was that of a dynamic, sharp-shooting slasher who was efficient in his decision making. 

Now that Weems has signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Pistons, he’ll be able to compete during training camp and ostensibly the pre-season if the coaching staff sees fit. The most likely outcome is that Weems factors into Scalzi’s rotation on the Cruise during his first year back in the Motor City, but he will have to earn that spot in training camp.