Detroit Pistons: What does Detroit’s nightmare offseason look like?

Detroit Pistons: Losing key free agents

Losing one guy you plan on re-signing in free agency is not surprising, but losing out on every important expiring contract is something else entirely. Detroit has five expiring contracts this offseason, and three of those players, Saben Lee, Hamidou Diallo, and Frank Jackson are players the Pistons are hoping to bring back next season.

Lee is almost a guarantee to return, but in this hypothetical scenario, there is another team out there who wants him so badly they offer the restricted free agent a contract the Pistons cannot match. Diallo and Jackson are likely to have more of a market than Lee in free agency, so the probability of them receiving a contract offer Detroit will not match is higher.

With three young role-players stripped away from their roster, the Pistons would likely try to bring back Wayne Ellington. However, with how well Ellington played this season in Detroit, he has garnered himself a contract with a team contending for a championship and will not return to the Pistons.

Even if this scenario were more realistic and Lee did return to the Pistons, losing an athletic freak like Diallo and an excellent three-point shooter in Jackson would be a major hit to Detroit’s rebuilding efforts.

The lottery and in-house free agency will determine if the Detroit Pistons’ offseason is a nightmare or a success.