The Pistons are a team rivals are expecting to be a players in the free agent market this summer, writes Jake Fischer for The Stein Line. They have the ability to create around $17MM in cap space if they choose to operate below the salary cap, a choice which could help shed light on the team’s roster-construction plans moving forward.
Fischer writes that the Pistons are looking at different options, including renting out space as a third team in bigger deals in order to accumulate assets or continuing to add veteran talent, a path that helped the team achieve a good measure of success this season.
Fischer also confirms prior reporting that much of Detroit’s focus has revolved around shooting bigs such as Myles Turner, Naz Reid, and Santi Aldama. Fischer adds that around the league, teams are expecting all three to remain with their current teams.
There’s also the question of the team’s own free agents. Tim Hardaway Jr., Dennis Schroder, and Malik Beasley are all unrestricted free agents this summer, and with Jaden Ivey set to return from injury, it’s unclear how many backcourt minutes will be available for all three. Fischer points to Hardaway Jr. as being the least likely of the three free agents to return. Beasley and the Pistons have expressed mutual interest in finding a new deal, and Schroder was a hugely valuable piece for Detroit, especially in the playoffs.
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The Pistons have the pieces to go big-name hunting for the first time in many years, writes Omari Sankofa II for the Detroit Free Press. They have up to four tradeable first-round picks, 15 second-round picks, and a combination of young, promising players and older veterans. However, with many teams similarly stocked with trade assets, a blockbuster trade would require a high price tag, Sankofa writes in a column breaking down three potential deals the Pistons could consider. The first name he considers is the Suns‘ Devin Booker. He lists Ivey, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, and a massive combination of first- and second-round picks as the likely return needed to secure the star shooting guard. He also looks at what it could take to land either Giannis Antetokounmpo or Jaren Jackson Jr. The question the Pistons have to decide is how much **Cade Cunningham**‘s ascendence requires an acceleration of the team-building timeline.
In a mailbag for NBA.com, Keith Langlois breaks down the Pistons’ priorities this off-season. The level to which the team succeeds next year depends, for the most part, on internal development, he writes. That includes Thompson experiencing his first healthy NBA offseason, a recovered Ivey, and skill work from players such as Ron Holland II and Jalen Duren. He also points to Cunningham becoming a more consistent three-point shooter and finding ways to cut down the turnovers as key points of emphasis.
In the same mailbag, Langlois discusses which area is more important for Thompson moving forward, shooting or playmaking. While a reliable jump shot would put Thompson over the top, he believes that playmaking is an area in which the athletic forward can find a great deal of value as he continues trying to develop his individual scoring. He points to a supercharged Josh Hart as a blueprint for how he can find success as a defender, passer, and rebounder, and adds that in terms of the two options, Thompson has a stronger base as a secondary playmaker to build off than he does as a shooter.