Pistons’ Twitter mailbag: Cade Cunningham, Bagley, the Draft and more
Detroit Pistons mailbag: Jerami Grant and Marvin Bagley III
Some questions about two players the Detroit Pistons will have to make decisions on this offseason.
Thoughts on Weaver extending Jerami Grant this off-season if Cade/Bey/Jerami continue to gel the rest of the year.
— PistonOfTheDay (@PistonOfTheDay) March 9, 2022
This is the question of the offseason. How the Pistons decide to handle Jerami Grant will help shape the future of the franchise.
The more I see them play together, the more I like the fit, as Grant has shown that he is willing to adapt his role to play with Cade and Saddiq Bey. If he is willing to be that 3rd or 4th guy, then I hope the Pistons do extend him.
But I am certain the Pistons have a number in mind for his extension. I also think they will shop him either way and if they get their asking price, he could be gone, particularly if a team like Portland offered them a top-10 pick and there was a guy there they loved.
Related Story. Why Portland is still the most likely trade destination for Jerami Grant. light
But Grant and Troy Weaver have an excellent relationship and I don’t think he was nearly as close to trading Grant at the deadline as some people made it seem. I think Grant stays and he and the Pistons meet in the middle and agree on a deal in the 4 years/$100 million range.
Bagley has looked pretty good since joining the Pistons and getting opportunity. Is there a world where another team drives up the price to keep him in his restricted free agency market?
— Wyso (@detroit_wyso) March 9, 2022
Like Grant, I think the Pistons would love to keep Bagley III but there is a price they will not go beyond.
While you can’t rule anything out, every team in the NBA had a chance to trade for Bagley III for the last two seasons and no one did, so I can’t see a huge market for his services, at least not one that drives up the price.
I also don’t think there are that many teams out there willing to offer him a guaranteed role, which he would almost certainly have with the Detroit Pistons depending on their offseason acquisitions, so there might be mutual interest in him staying.
My guess is that he either signs the qualifying offer (around $7 million) so he can become an UFA after next season, hoping to rebuild his value and get a big payday, or the Pistons sign him to a 3 year deal in the $25 million range.
I don’t see a big bidding war erupting for Bagley III, and if it did, the Pistons will walk away and look elsewhere. He’s been pretty good so far, but still has huge flaws and hasn’t proven he can stay on the floor consistently, so it’s hard to imagine him getting a big offer at this stage.