Detroit Pistons: Free agency may come down to these two players

Detroit Pistons: The case for Collin Sexton

As I said before, Sexton is more likely to change teams even though he is a restricted free agent, as the Cavaliers made the playoffs without him and beefed up their guard rotation in his absence. They might also be thinking about future max deals for Garland and Evan Mobley and may not think Sexton will fit financially.

Strengths

Sexton can flat out score and does it fairly efficiently, two qualities the Detroit Pistons desperately need, as they were one of the worst offenses in the NBA however you measure it.

Sexton averaged 24.3 points per game in his last full season while shooting over 50 percent from two-point range and 37 percent from behind the arc.

He can break down a defense and get into the lane to set up teammates or himself, and also averaged 4.4 assists to go along with 3.1 rebounds. While Brunson probably gets more credit for being a more “all-around” player, Sexton’s assist and rebounding numbers are right on par.

Sexton has shown that he can shoot over 40 percent from 3-point range and may become more of a high-volume 3-point shooter if he were playing with someone like Cade Cunningham, who creates space with his gravity and loves setting up teammates.

Sexton is also just 23-years-old, so would be the perfect age for the Pistons’ current timeline.

Red Flags

Sexton is coming off a serious injury that cost him nearly the entire season, so whoever signs him will have to have some assurance that he is healthy and ready to go.

Sexton also averaged just 16 points per game this season (in just 11 games) so there is some concern that he’ll be less effective in an offense where he isn’t the number one guy.

In his last full season, Sexton averaged over 18 shot attempts per game, two more than Cade Cunningham took this year, so if Sexton joined the Pistons, he’d probably view himself as “the guy” and may want to get the most shots.

That might not be the worst thing if he is scoring 25 a game and doing it efficiently, but there are more questions about fit than there are with Brunson, who has already shown he is willing to defer.

Sexton is also a restricted free agent, so the Cavaliers can match any offer, which means the Detroit Pistons would have to put a fairly large one out there to scare them away.

Contract

Sexton may have to take slightly less annual money or sign a shorter deal to prove he is back fully from his injury, but in a free-agent class with so few options, he is still likely to get paid.

This would be another risky bet for the Detroit Pistons, as they’d have to be very comfortable with his health and ability to get back to where he was before the injury. They’d also have to be confident that he is a long-term fit with Cade and the type of guy who fits their team culture, which is more evident with Brunson.

Sexton may come slightly cheaper than Brunson, but given his age and talent, is still likely to get near a max deal from someone.

If it comes down to these two guys for the Detroit Pistons, I’d much rather they take a flyer on Sexton, who is a higher-ceiling talent, younger and offers the type of scoring upgrade the Pistons need.

There’s also a strong argument that neither of these guys is enough to really move the needle and the Pistons might be better off investing elsewhere or in multiple players.

What do you think? Brunson? Sexton? Neither?