Detroit Pistons: Competing with the Knicks for free agents is a bad idea

The Detroit Pistons will be one of the few teams with cap space to spend on free agents this summer.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much to spend it on, as the top guys (Deandre Ayton, Zach LaVine) are either restricted or unrealistic options for Detroit.

Reports have surfaced that the Pistons are “planning a big-money offer” for unrestricted free agent Jalen Brunson, who has gotten a lot of attention for his play in this year’s playoffs.

He has thrived alongside ball dominant point guard Luka Doncic, so the idea is that he could do the same or more with Cade Cunningham in a similar (albeit probably larger) role with the Detroit Pistons.

But according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the Knicks will make Brunson their top offseason priority, a rumor that was bolstered by Julius Randle and several Knicks’ executives being spotted at the last Dallas game.

"“One source with knowledge of the Knicks front office even suggested to B/R that New York’s efforts before the February trade deadline were primarily geared toward freeing ample cap space to offer Brunson a competitive contract this July.”"

The Knicks sound serious, and you can probably add the Indiana Pacers to that list as well, as they have had reported interest in Brunson.

The last thing the Detroit Pistons want is to get into a bidding war for a guy who is a fringe max player, which is why I hope they don’t end up in one with the Knicks.

The Detroit Pistons can’t miss in free agency

While Brunson might look good next to Cade Cunningham on paper, there are some concerns about giving a max deal to a guy who is not an All-Star and unlikely to ever be one.

Given the Knicks’ history with free agents, the Pistons should probably run away from any guy that New York covets.

Knicks’ incompetence aside, it is going to take a HUGE offer to land Brunson, as the Mavericks are desperate to keep him, SIDE NOTE: At any point are we going to talk about what a mess Dallas is? They seem to get a pass just because they have Luka, but have done a terrible job of building around him and are about to throw a bag at Jalen Brunson as the second best player. Why is the Dallas front office not being called out? END SIDE NOTE,

especially if the Knicks get involved as well. The Detroit Pistons got into a spiral of mediocrity for the last decade because they gave max deals to guys who were no longer (or never were) star players.

I do like Brunson, but paying him upwards of $25 million a season (it may take 28-30) would be lunacy.

The Detroit Pistons shouldn’t be eager to empty their coffers just because they have some money, as the 2023 free agent class is way better and they could always use that money to absorb a contract in a trade.

If the Knicks and Mavericks want to get into a bidding war for Brunson, let them. The Detroit Pistons should continue to be patient, as doing nothing at all would be preferable to overspending for the wrong guy.