There’s no such thing as an unimportant offseason, but this one feels especially consequential for the Detroit Pistons. They finished the 2021-22 season winning 11 of their final 25 games. Cade Cunningham finished third in the Rookie of the Year race and looked the part of a franchise centerpiece. Several young players made significant strides forward. There’s optimism that the team can make a play-in push next season.
To accomplish that, the Pistons need to nail this offseason. There’s several avenues available to improve the roster, as they have significant cap space and could land another top-three draft pick. To earn an ‘A’ for the summer, here’s what they need to accomplish.
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Maximize the draft
The Pistons have the third-best overall odds in the lottery, meaning they’re tied with the Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets for a 14% chance at the No. 1 pick and a 52.1% chance at staying in the top four. But the Pistons can also fall as low as seventh. In a draft that has three or four players with franchise-altering potential — depending on who you ask — it would certainly be a blow for the Pistons to fall lower than third. But if that happens, they can still salvage their draft.
The power forward trio of Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga), Jabari Smith Jr. (Auburn) and Paolo Banchero (Duke) are likely to be the first three off of the board, and are all options to go first. But there’s good talent in pick Nos. 4-7 as well. Iowa’s Keegan Murray is believed to be high on Detroit’s draft board, and the 6-foot-8 power forward averaged a highly efficient 23.5 points and 8.7 rebounds last season. Purdue guard Jaden Ivey, Kentucky guard Shaedon Sharpe, Arizona guard Bennedict Mathurin, Memphis center Jalen Duren and Wisconsin guard Johnny Davis are also options.
Detroit also has the 46th overall pick, which they acquired from the Brooklyn Nets in a trade. It’s never smart to expect a second-round pick to become a core piece, but Isaiah Livers and Luka Garza, whom the Pistons drafted in the second round in 2021, were both contributors last season.
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Retain Marvin Bagley III
Bagley made an immediate impact after the Pistons acquired him at the trade deadline from the Sacramento Kings. During his 18 games with Detroit, he averaged 14.6 points and 6.8 rebounds on 55.5% shooting. His efficiency would’ve been a career high had it been a full season. He gave Detroit’s ball-handlers a much-needed lob threat and thrived as an all-around post scorer. The 2018 No. 2 overall pick came to Detroit to revive his career; he appears to be on the right track.
Pistons general manager Troy Weaver had long been a fan of Bagley’s game, and Bagley, who is entering restricted free agency, is expected to sign a multi-year deal with the Pistons. It remains to be seen how hot Bagley’s market will be. Detroit can match any offer but may not need to. It isn’t clear if Bagley’s ceiling is a starter, but he was a positive contributor last season and fits Detroit’s rebuild timeline.
Extend (or trade) Jerami Grant
It might be the biggest decision the Pistons will make this offseason. Grant, who signed a three-year, $60 million contract in 2020, is eligible for an extension ahead of the final season of his current deal. His new deal could be worth up to $112 million over four years, averaging $28 million a year. It’s a healthy raise for a player who has outplayed his current contract.
The Pistons listened to offers for Grant at this past trade deadline, but they could have more incentive to move him this summer. The top three prospects in this draft all play power forward, Grant’s natural position. And teams that fall short in the playoffs could see Grant as a final piece; he emerged as a proven playoff contributor with the Denver Nuggets in 2020 and has since shown that he can thrive in a bigger role.
His 2021-22 season started slow and marred by injuries, but Grant eventually found his groove playing alongside Cunningham and Saddiq Bey. He averaged 20.1 points while shooting 46.3% — and 41.6% from 3 — over his final 15 games; the Pistons outscored teams by 53 during the 335 minutes they played together in that span. Detroit needs to either trade Grant, or extend him. There’s little incentive to bring him back next season without an extension already in place.
“Jerami demonstrated his efficiency in the way he fit with the group,” Weaver said during his end-of-season news conference. “I’m curious. I’m not sure. The deadline, people had their feelers out but nothing that blew us away. Maybe something comes down the pipe. We’ll see.”
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Spend in free agency, but don’t overspend
The Pistons will have roughly $26 million in cap space this summer and will be a player in free agency. Unfortunately, this isn’t a great summer to have money to spend. There are good — but not great — starters entering restricted free agency in Charlotte Hornets forward (and Michigan State alumnus) Miles Bridges and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton. Jalen Brunson is due for a raise after a strong season with the Dallas Mavericks. Phoenix Suns star Deandre Ayton enters restricted free agency as well. Ayton is the only player on the list potentially worth a max contract. A few players will be overpaid.
Detroit doesn’t need to overpay for talent. The Pistons should be judicious in their spending. It could be better for them to give out small contracts to productive role players, such as Orlando Magic guard (and Michigan State alumnus) Gary Harris or Los Angeles Lakers guard Malik Monk, rather than handing a significant contract to a talented player who probably won’t lead the Pistons to their next playoff victory.
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Cap space can make or ruin rebuilds. Pistons fans don’t need to be reminded of the exorbitant deals Detroit previously handed out to Josh Smith, Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. They have several needs to address and don’t need to put all of their eggs into one basket.
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @omarisankofa. Read more on the Detroit Pistons and sign up for our Pistons newsletter.