Detroit Pistons small forward Tony Snell will pick up his player option this season.
James Edwards III of The Athletic reported on Sunday night that Detroit Pistons small forward Tony Snell will pick up his 2020-2021 player option worth $12.2 million.
Snell proved to be a valuable pickup for Detroit last season, shooting 40 percent from three-point range and ending the season third in minutes for the entire team. Additionally, he shot 100 percent from the free throw line on 32 attempts.
He was acquired from the Milwaukee Bucks ahead of the 2019 draft in an attempt for Milwaukee to evade the luxury tax. His veteran presence on the wing will be held in relatively high regard this season with a healthy Blake Griffin coming back.
People may forget that Snell actually joined the NBA history books a season ago, becoming just the ninth player in league history to 6 three-pointers while shooting 100 percent on his attempts. It was one of the more random and bizarre happenings of an already chaotic season for the league.
So while the Pistons will certainly be glad to keep him around, the value of a 3 & D player in this league, especially one on an expiring deal, cannot be ignored.
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Even though Snell may not fall under the umbrella of some of the more elite 3 & D’s in the league like Wesley Matthews and Jae Crowder, there’s still a spot for him on seemingly every single roster in the league.
The question then becomes; can Detroit find a way to flip him for meaningful assets?
It may not be entirely outside of the realm of possibility to think that the Pistons could get a late first-round pick in this year’s draft for him, but it’s certainly unlikely. The odds are that if they could find a way to land draft capital in exchange for him, it’d be in the second round.
If that wound up being the case, that’s completely fine seeing as Detroit doesn’t currently own a second-round pick this season.
CBS Sports proposed a trade that saw Snell get dealt to Minnesota in exchange for the number one overall pick in the draft, which is also highly unlikely.
If the Pistons ride out the season with him in their rotation, he’ll still be making valuable contributions on both ends of the floor.