Detroit Pistons: A free-agent shooter to target with the mid-level exception
The Detroit Pistons are already having one of their best offseasons in memory after finally getting the number one pick in the NBA Draft.
The Pistons are expected to choose Cade Cunningham, who looks like he could be the next superstar in the NBA.
The Pistons already have several very good complementary players in Jerami Grant, Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart, Josh Jackson and Mason Plumlee, so their “restoration” could be coming sooner than expected. Could the Pistons make the playoffs next season? It’s not out of the question.
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This is especially true if they can fill some of their biggest offseason needs, the biggest of which is shooting.
The Pistons were near the bottom of the league in 3-point shooting last season, something they need to remedy if they want to make a leap as a team. The defense was already top-10 in points allowed, but the offense was terrible, so adding a dynamic shot maker like Cunningham and the right mix of free agent shooters might be enough to push Detroit into the conversation.
Detroit Pistons: How much cap space will the Pistons have this offseason?
The matter of Pistons’ cap space gets complicated, as there are a lot of potential moving parts.
To avoid being mansplained to death on Twitter, I am going to avoid this speculation until the dust has settled, but here is a good primer.
It’s likely that they will be operating as an over-the-cap team, so they will have the full mid-level exception which should be $9.5 million according to Hoops Rumors.
So even if the Pistons end up with no cap space, they should still be able to offer a contract in the range of 4 years/$41 million using the MLE. They could split that among a few players or offer it all to one guy.
If they do the latter, there is a free-agent shooter who might make sense.