What re-tooling could look like for the Detroit Pistons
Completing a contender
Say the Pistons sign VanVleet to a contract around $25 million annually, that gives Detroit roughly $35 million to fill out the roster. Kennard and swingman Tony Snell have options that total $17.6 million of that value and it seems likely Snell won’t pass up the $12.3 million he’d make by accepting his player options.
Expect some of the leftover $17.4 million estimated in cap space to be filled out by Mykhailiuk and Wood. Then, the Pistons can look at veterans to fill out the roster.
Last summer Ed Stefanski spent the bulk of what little cap space the Pistons had in Derrick Rose, who will make $7.7 million next season. He’ll be a critical part to contention success next season. But it allowed Stefanski to then sign Morris, Tim Frazier and Wood using minimal contracts.
What would a successful Pistons rebuild look like?. light. More
That same approach could be used but the Pistons will need a center, unless Griffin or Wood starts there. It’s ultimately a tough market but Casey had success with a center that could shoot 3s. Hassan Whiteside and Tristan Thompson are too similar to Drummond so a player to look at would be former Piston Aron Baynes – a two-way player that will impact both ends of the court.
With other teams in the league saving cap space for the coveted 2021 free agent class, the Pistons could be aggressive and outbid teams for the players they want to try and build their contender.
Additional veterans could include Patrick Patterson in the frontcourt, former Piston Anthony Tolliver and, potentially, Marc Gasol depending on the deal.
On the wings it gets a bit trickier with Kennard, Snell and Mykhailiuk returning. The Pistons could try to re-sign Langston Galloway, who has emerged as one of the team’s most consistent shooters. They could also target a wing with a similar skillset like E’Twaun Moore, Jae Crowder, Solomon Hill or Maurice Harkless.
It’s hard to tell what the market is going to look like due to teams saving for 2021 and most contenders already capped out. But here’s a look at what the Pistons could look like in 2020-21.