What do the Detroit Pistons really think? Follow the money

Detroit Pistons draft picks: Halfway there

The NBA collective bargaining agreement has made contracts for first round picks very easy. Each slot in the first round has an assigned salary number and a team can not go more than 20% over it. All teams sign their first rounders with the extra 20%, so not much for agents and teams to haggle over.

Detroit Pistons draft picks with official contracts

• Cade Cunningham: 4 year, $44.60 million rookie scale contract
• Isaiah Livers: 3 year $4.46 million contract

Cade Cunningham’s signing was so non-controversial, many fans might not even realize he already has a contract with Detroit.

The collective bargaining agreement also says that second round picks do not have to be offered guaranteed contracts. That is a reason some cap-strapped teams trade out of the first round for second round picks.

Yet, the Pistons have signed one of their second-round draft choices, Michigan’s Isaiah Livers, to a partially guaranteed deal, using precious cap space.

It is particularly interesting that Detroit is offering Livers guaranteed money now, when it does not have to, because they know he will not be of immediate help. Livers suffered a foot stress reaction in March and had to have surgery. At his introductory press conference, Livers said he is hoping to be back on the court by November.

It is not a huge sum of money the Pistons are giving Livers. But for the 42nd overall pick to get a three-year deal with some guaranteed money is a sign Detroit really likes the 6-7 power forward. As an example, the player selected 42nd the year before, Nick Richards, only got a $1 million, one year contract.

Oh, and Livers also a solid three-point shooter (Note a trend in who Troy Weaver is bringing in?), making over 40-percent in his collegiate career.

Detroit Pistons currently unsigned draft picks

• Luka Garza, 6-11, Iowa
• Balsa Koprivica, 7-1, Florida State

Garza was picked 10 slots after Livers (52nd) and Koprivica five spots after that (57th).

Both are playing with the Pistons summer league team in Las Vegas, when coach Dwane Casey and GM Troy Weaver can get a close look at them.

Garza, not Cunningham, was named the National College Player of the Year. He had a great career at Iowa but he shot 33.8 percent from three in his career. He is working on improving his outside shot, and it has been clear this off-season that shooting is a priority. His foot speed on defense is also something they will be looking at.

Koprivica got a late start as he was part of the Mason Plumlee trade and had to wait for it to be processed. He did not have the career in college like Garza (but he did play a year of high school with Cunningham) but he is taller and is also working on his three-point shot.

Right now, the only centers the Pistons have are Isaiah Stewart and Jahlil Okafor with Olynyk able to play that position, and coach Casey has mentioned he might look at Grant as a small-ball center.

If they impress in summer league, Garza or Koprivica could find a spot in Detroit’s 15-man roster as a depth piece at center. There is still one two-way contract available or they could be offered an Exhibit 10 contract, which would pay them extra to play on Detroit’s G-League team.

Simply ignore the noise and follow the contracts, and you will get a much clearer picture of what the Detroit Pistons are planning for the future.