The case for waiving Aaron Gray
By Dan Feldman
"The Pistons would look a little foolish if they waive Aaron Gray.They shouldn’t be afraid to do it anyway.Detroit just signed Gray in August to a two-year contract with at least the first year fully guaranteed. To turn around and cut him — and eat his salary — so soon certainly is not ideal.But it should be a viable option as the Pistons, who have 16 players with guaranteed contracts, contemplate which one to drop before they must meet the regular-season roster limit of 15.With Will Bynum traded, there seem to be three candidates:• Gray• Tony Mitchell• Luigi DatomeAll three would get paid regardless, though they’d lose a chance to prove their on-court value and secure another contract.Gray has missed the preseason after a heart episode, and coach/president Stan Van Gundy obviously has a lot more information on Gray’s health than I do. That will factor in heavily.But even if Gray has made a full recovery, I’d still strongly consider waiving him.One big potential complication: Gray has a player option for 2015-16. Player options specify whether the player gets his salary if he’s waived before the option season, and it’s unclear whether Gray would get paid for 2015-16. As someone who objected to a second season for Gray (let alone a player option) in the first place, I’d guess that his 2015-16 salary is not guaranteed if waived. But that’ s just a guess.If Gray’s 2015-16 salary is guaranteed, that changes the equation. It’d be a close call at that point. His salary that year is still a sunk cost, but there’s always a chance that he could be used in a trade rather than becoming dead weight. The Pistons might need that bit of salary cap room next summer.But if Gray’s 2015-16 salary is not guaranteed, I’d waive him.Mitchell, a year into the NBA, is still unpolished — athletic and talented but possessing a questionable motor.But he’s just 22, and that matters a great deal.The Pistons have just three players within three years of the 21-year-old Andre Drummond: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Spencer Dinwiddie and Mitchell.The odds might be low that Mitchell pans out, but who’s more likely to be a rotation player when Drummond is ready to lead a championship team, Mitchell or the now-28-year-old Josh Smith? That’s the way the Pistons should be evaluating players.Maybe Drummond never reaches that level, but the Pistons’ goal should be maximizing their team for that window. If Drummond pans out, great, they’ll be ready. If not, none of this matters much anyway.Datome, 26, also has the age advantage over the 29-year-old Gray. Though Datome shot poorly as a rookie last season, his credentials coming from Italy were strong. There’s a chance he needed a year to get comfortable in the NBA, and if that’s the case, he could be a good fit in Van Gundy’s system.What role would Gray have, even if healthy?He was signed as a third center behind Drummond and Greg Monroe, but the Pistons since have acquired Joel Anthony (for Bynum). That trade, considering that Anthony costs more than Bynum, at least hints that Gray won’t be ready for the start of the regular season."