Detroit Pistons: Re-sign or bye-bye? What to do with expiring contracts
With the 2020-2021 NBA regular season finally completed, the Detroit Pistons and nine other teams can now officially start looking toward their offseason moves, with four more teams set to join them following the NBA’s play-in tournament.
As these teams enter their offseason, they will have to begin considering what to do with their pending free agents.
The Detroit Pistons are entering this NBA offseason with five contracts that expired with the end of the season.
Two of those contracts belong to two-way standouts in third-year guard Frank Jackson and rookie guard Saben Lee. The other three contracts belong to veteran sharpshooter Wayne Ellington, 2016 top 10 draft pick Dennis Smith Jr, and the super-athletic 22-year-old Hamidou Diallo.
With four draft picks in the upcoming 2021 NBA Draft, and free agency beginning right after that, the Pistons will have hard decisions to make on which players they will want to retain this offseason.
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That being said, three of the Pistons’ four draft picks come in the second round this year, and there is a strong possibility one or two of those second-rounders get traded.
It is unclear at this point just how many roster spots Detroit will have open after the draft. However, it is never too early to speculate which players they will look to re-sign, and which players they will move on from this offseason.
Here is a look at the five Detroit Pistons who the organization will have to make a decision on whether to sign for a new contract or wave bye-bye to:
Detroit Pistons should led Wayne Ellington go
After struggling in his one season with the New York Knicks, Wayne Ellington returned to Detroit for his second stint with the team.
The former North Carolina Tar Heel had his worst shooting season with the Knicks since the 2011-2012 season. Ellington posted 5.1 points per game while shooting 35 percent from three-point range in 36 appearances during his short tenure with the Knicks.
In his return to the Pistons, the shooting guard has had a bounce back season as he has put up 9.6 points per game while shooting 42.2 percent from three. Ellington has started 31 of his 46 games this season and averaged 22 minutes a night.
Despite having a solid season this year, it would be mutually beneficial for both Ellington and the Pistons to part ways this offseason. For Ellington, his superb shooting numbers this season have likely garnered him a contract with a contending team next year. As for the Pistons, Ellington will turn 34 next season.
The Pistons are in the midst of their rebuild. While a 34-year-old Ellington could provide good mentorship to the young players on the roster, he would ultimately restrict the playing time of the players Detroit is trying to develop. It’s in the best interest of both parties to move on this offseason.