Detroit Pistons: Could Detroit steal Lauri Markkanen from the Bulls?

The Detroit Pistons will enter NBA free agency with some newfound cap space and the possibility of nabbing an impact player.

The most likely scenario is that the Pistons just re-sign Hamidou Diallo, Frank Jackson and Saben Lee and then use whatever is left over to add some veteran depth.

But we know Troy Weaver is full of surprises, so he could push all of his cap space into the middle for one guy and there are some compelling reasons to go for that big name free-agent now.

We’ve mentioned Tim Hardaway Jr. as an interesting possibility, as he is the shooter the Pistons need and has some ties to Michigan.

Another guy I like as a long-shot possibility is Bulls’ forward Lauri Markkanen, who recently became a restricted free agent.

Markkanen is a polarizing guy, as he has a lot of talent but hasn’t quite put it all together or always been able to stay on the floor. He’s a tantalizing talent as a 7-footer who can shoot, but should the Pistons take a risk on him? Is it even possible?

Detroit Pistons: Detroit could make an offer to Lauri Markkanen that the Bulls don’t want to match

The Pistons could have as much as $22 million to spend in free agency depending on what they do with their own guys.

If they wanted to put most or all of that towards one guy, then they could almost certainly make Markkanen an offer that the Bulls don’t want to match.

The pro to this type of move is that the Pistons could be getting a guy who is only 24-years-old and still has a ton of upside as a 7-footer who shot 40 percent from long range. In the right role he could blow up like Jerami Grant did for the Detroit Pistons.

Markkanen scored 18.7 points and grabbed 7.6 boards in his best season, so this is a guy who could potentially thrive next to Cade Cunningham, who is going to make everyone around him better.

It would be a gamble and if it paid off, the Pistons could get a steal. But if it didn’t? That’s the con to such a move, as Markkanen has been injury prone and may end up being nothing more than a stretch-four who comes off the bench, which isn’t a bad thing, but hardly worth paying big bucks for.

If the market for Markkanen never develops and the Pistons can get him for a good price, it’s worth a gamble, but there’s a ceiling on how much that gamble should cost.