The Pistons have 2 months to answer the Hamidou Diallo question

June 28th is an important date for the Detroit Pistons this offseason, as it is the day they have to make decisions on the team options for Hamidou Diallo, Frank Jackson and Luka Garza.

Diallo has a $5.2 million team option for next season, which is pretty good value for a guy who averaged 11 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game off the bench.

Good teams need low-cost role players who produce, and Diallo was that at times this season, as he had a couple of really good stretches before his season was cut short by injury.

But it’s possible the Pistons will need the cap space to make a bigger move or that they see Diallo as redundant and not part of the long-term plans.

By June 28th Detroit will have already made their draft picks and will be heading into free agency, so they will have a clearer picture of what their roster is going to look like and their potential needs.

It will probably come down to who the Pistons draft, what they do with Jerami Grant and whether they need to keep cap space to pursue a free agent like Deandre Ayton.

The Hamidou Diallo situation will probably be up in the air until the last minute and the Pistons could go either way.

The Detroit Pistons pick up Hamidou Diallo’s option

Diallo is on a low-ball contract and still has some upside, so the Pistons could exercise his team option and let him play it out, but if they don’t work out a new deal, he would become an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season.

I don’t think Diallo has done enough to warrant a new contract, but he does offer the Pistons some athleticism, which they lack, and a guy who hustles, is a sneaky good defender and who is only 23-years-old.

The strongest argument for Diallo is that he is relatively cheap, young and could get better. If the Pistons picked up their team option, they could still trade Diallo before the deadline, though the return would probably be minimal unless he has a really great start to the season.

The Detroit Pistons should let Diallo walk

The Pistons were the second-worst 3-point shooting team in the NBA this season and need to upgrade the shooting around their young guards.

Hopefully some of that improvement will come from within, as guys like Kelly Olynyk and Frank Jackson had down seasons because of injuries and young players like Cade Cunningham and Saddiq Bey should improve their accuracy as they get better.

Diallo shot just 24 percent from 3-point range, worst since his rookie season, and is probably never going to be a guy who knocks them down at a high rate.

The Pistons can replace him with Isaiah Livers, who shot 42 percent in limited action this season and is still on a minimum rookie deal.

Letting Diallo walk would give the Pistons more money to spend in free agency if they needed it or extra cap space to absorb a bigger salary in a trade.

And are we even sure Hamidou Diallo would make the rotation next season?

• Cade Cunningham/Killian Hayes
• FA/Draft pick/ Frank Jackson
• Saddiq Bey/Isaiah Livers
• Jerami Grant/Draft pick/Marvin Bagley III
• Isaiah Stewart/Kelly Olynyk

There may not be a clear path to minutes for Hamidou Diallo, especially if the Pistons acquire another shooting guard or wing.

I think Hamidou Diallo was a nice project player that was worth the contract the Pistons gave him, but it’s hard to see him as part of the long-term plans.

It may come down to him or Frank Jackson, and Jackson is a cheaper, better shooter, so Diallo might end up being the odd man out.