Why Michael Beasley’s signing is good for Detroit Pistons’ future

The Detroit Pistons signing Michael Beasley is not just a good move for winning now, but has positive implications for the Pistons future.

The Detroit Pistons’ front office has made a lot of unexpected moves in its short tenure that has filled fans with renewed hope at once again contending in the Eastern Conference in the near future. This continued last weekend with the signing of Michael Beasley to a one year contract.

Despite limited cap space and scant draft picks, the front office has managed to make moves in its first two offseasons that walk the thin line of satisfying both the win-now faction of the fan base and those fans wishing to rebuild for the future.

A late offseason signing usually fails to spark much excitement, but Beasley’s signing has stirred the attention of the basketball world in its peculiarities. Not only did Beasley reportedly turn down a guaranteed contract worth $2.6 million to play in China, but Beasley’s signing has also surprised those familiar with his past of off-court issues and his impending five-game suspension that will take effect at the start of the season.

However, the signing has brought with it an attention to the Pistons that seems to reinforce the broader goals of the new front office – making Detroit an appealing location to future free agents.

While there have been arduous and expensive steps in this process -like moving into a new arena in Detroit’s downtown district, the construction of a forthcoming practice facility a few miles away from that arena and a rumored relocation of their G-League affiliate to nearby Wayne State University– Beasley’s signing is a continued step in this direction because it pairs him with another notable offseason signing in Derrick Rose.

As atypical as attention given to the signings of two players past their prime is, the uniting of Rose and Beasley is note-worthy because the pair makes up the first two picks of the 2008 NBA draft, respectively. However, this unusual and almost meme-able fact (due to the Pistons subpar relevance in the decade since that draft) is not limited to a fun, trivial “tid-bit.”

The name recognition of this pairing has brought an attention to the small-market Pistons that the team has not seen since 2018’s trade for Blake Griffin, which could mean good news for the Pistons prospect of landing free agents in the future.

Unlike Griffin, Beasley’s and Rose’s signings prove that notable players, even if they currently fit into less considerable roles than earlier in their careers, are willing to come to Detroit independent of the forced context of a trade. This helps plant the seed for growing Detroit into a desirable location for free agents in the future, which will be important when the Pistons are freed from the weight of major contracts this coming summer.

Beasley’s decision to turn down a guaranteed contract in a league where he has had repeated all-star success suggests that he sees a potential in the Pistons’ ability to contend for the playoffs now, something even Vegas odds-makers do not see, and that he is willing to put himself into a team-oriented role to help see to that success.

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Rose’s almost immediate decision to come to Detroit amid a newfound hype after an unexpected comeback season in Minnesota, and in an offseason when large-market teams in the the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks restructured their rosters, speaks to Detroit’s understated appeal.

The Pistons are onto something in which the front office was able to convince Beasley and Rose believe in as well. While it may not be obvious what the long-term plan is, it’s not impossible to think other players will believe in it, too, when Detroit is once again able start courting free agents closer to, if not in, their prime playing days.

However, cultivating and marketing an appealing city and team culture will not alone draw free agents to Detroit.

Ultimately, the Pistons will need to be a contender to appeal to All-Star and All-NBA-caliber players looking to win now and win often. Yet, by taking in big-name players just past their prime who can act not only as a veteran voice to the Pistons’ promising young core, but can as well offer productive minutes off the bench and allow an injury-prone starting core reprieve, the climb to contention can begin.

Do you think the signings of Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley lead to bigger names coming to Detroit? Let us know in the comments section or by liking Piston Powered on Facebook and following Piston Powered on Twitter.