The Detroit Pistons continue their busy offseason as free agency begins.
Just a few days after the 2020 NBA Draft concluded, the Detroit Pistons are back at it again moves that clarify the direction of the franchise.
Killian Hayes was the ultimate prize for fans on draft night, but it also saw the departure of the longest tenured member of the team, Luke Kennard, in a three team trade with the Los Angeles Clippers and the Brooklyn Nets.
After drafting three additional players, the Pistons are back with more news.
- The Pistons sign Mason Plumlee to a three-year deal worth $25 million.
In their first move of the night, Detroit goes out and signals the first real question mark in Troy Weaver’s tenure so far. It was a complete head scratcher considering it was (at the time) expected the they would continue to pursue Christian Wood.
With relatively limited cap space, it was a complete shocker that they used as much of it as they did on a player that doesn’t necessarily move the needle.
Plumlee never played overly significant minutes for the Nuggets, even throughout their Western Conference Finals run this past season.
He does however provide stability, something that the Pistons will certainly need at center moving forward.
- The Pistons sign Jahlil Okafor to a two-year deal for the veteran minimum.
This didn’t come as too much of a surprise, given there was some fan speculation headed into free agency on his potential arrival. However, it was a bit shocking considering the fact that we had just draft Isaiah Stewart, and obviously, signed Plumlee.
Additionally, the Pistons had also acquired Dewayne Dedmon and Tony Bradley via trade. While it was expected that both would eventually be moved, (Dedmon was waived) the depth was still concerning.
Okafor is another stability get. There’s still some untapped potential in his game on both ends but we haven’t been able to see it from him in his stints with the Sixers, Nets or Pelicans.
Occasionally he’s someone who will give you 17 & 8 on a random night, but he’s more or less being brought on to help navigate Detroit through their current rebuild. A team friendly contract that works out for all parties involved. No complaints on this one.
- The Pistons sign Josh Jackson to a two year deal, with the financial impact currently unknown.
A few months back, we wrote about this exact thing potentially happening. Detroit buys low on someone who has struggled at the NBA level and Jackson gets to play for his hometown team.
He’s struggled with issues off the court and having his support system around him here at home could go a long way for him. He occasionally received an elevated role with Memphis last season, but ultimately spent a majority of his time in the G-League.
Jackson was clearly above the talent level there, as he averaged 20.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists with the Hustle. His consistency with Detroit is going to be dependent on his opportunities.
The Pistons lose nothing by signing this deal, but stand to win quite a bit. Not in the sense of winning any considerable number more basketball games, but by developing a legitimate asset.
- The Pistons sign Jerami Grant to a three-year deal worth $60 million.
In what has been the busiest week for Detroit in recent memory, they come away with an absolute home run of a signing. Grant was an integral part of the Denver Nuggets playoff run this past season and sought out a bigger role offensively.
The Nuggets reportedly offered the same contract that the Pistons did, but the value he saw here was greater. He immediately becomes one of their primary scoring options on day one.
A versatile player on both ends of the floor, Grant is a flat out stud and a pure scorer. His perimeter efficiency could bump just a tad, though. Shooting 38.9 percent from three-point range next season, Detroit doesn’t currently have as many perimeter threats as they did a year ago, so a bump would be nice, but his current efficiency is just fine.
Grant was often tasked with defending LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the playoffs, and proved that he’s more than capable of holding his own against the league’s best. He’s a reliable defender in the post and along the perimeter. This was a massive get for the Pistons.
Troy Weaver is far from being done with shaping this current roster.