The Detroit Pistons will have more cap space this summer than any other team, so it makes sense that they are being mentioned in rumors about nearly all the NBA free agents.
It has been widely speculated that the Pistons will pursue Deandre Ayton, which only heated up after the Suns’ early exit from the playoffs and his reported tiff with coach Monty Williams.
But Ayton is a restricted free agent and it is hard to imagine the Suns letting him walk for nothing, especially with no clear Plan B.
This year’s free agent class isn’t great, and when you remove the guys who are very unlikely to come to the Detroit Pistons (Zach LaVine), it gets even worse.
Of course, there are plenty of ways to use cap space other than just signing free agents, so Troy Weaver and the Detroit Pistons have other ways to add impact talent.
But they have repeatedly been mentioned as possible suitors for two players that make sense in Collin Sexton and Jalen Brunson.
Detroit Pistons: Collin Sexton and Jalen Brunson rumors
Talk about Jalen Brunson heated up in the playoffs, as he had a great run as the number two option on the Dallas Mavericks behind Luka Doncic.
This led to rumors that the Detroit Pistons were “planning a big-money offer” for Brunson. I think it’s still more likely that Dallas re-signs him (as their roster is a mess and they don’t have many other ways to add talent), but he is an unrestricted free agent, so Detroit could make a huge offer and potentially a bigger role that might entice Brunson to leave.
The Collin Sexton rumors were stirred up again by a recent report from Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com:
"“While the Washington Wizards may have interest in a sign-and-trade, Detroit and Indiana are viewed as the biggest threats. At least one member of Cleveland’s front office wonders if the Pistons will make Sexton a priority, especially if Dallas retains prized free agent Jalen Brunson.”"
I’ve already talked about some of the pros and cons of Collin Sexton, who is a restricted free agent. But after the rise of Darius Garland and the acquisition of Caris LeVert, Sexton’s time in Cleveland may be limited.
Both are small guards who stand 6-foot-1 and have strengths as well as red flags. So if you had to choose one of these two, which would you want?
Detroit Pistons: The case for Jalen Brunson
Brunson just showed that he has another level when he averaged 21.5 points over three series in the playoffs. His regular-season numbers were much more pedestrian, as he averaged 16.3 points, 4.8 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game.
He shot over 50 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from 3-point range on the season.
Strengths
Brunson is a tough and versatile player who is just 25-years-old. He has shown that he can thrive with a ball-dominant guard and play both on and off the ball, which would give some relief to Cade Cunningham.
Brunson looked comfortable running the offense in Luka’s absence and had some of his best games of the season as the number one option.
He can break down a defense, but he is also a good shooter off the ball, as he hit over 40 percent on catch-and-shoot 3-point shots this season.
He’d give the Detroit Pistons a second or third scoring option, as well as a guy who could shoulder some of the ball-handling duties and defend point guards so that Cade Cunningham doesn’t have to.
Red Flags
Brunson is just 6-foot-1, so is mostly limited to defending point guards in the NBA. That is not necessarily a problem, as Cade is a big guard who is better off defending two guards and wings most nights.
The other big red flag for Brunson is that he has spent his entire career playing with Luka Doncic. On one hand you say great, that means he can play with a ball dominant guard, but on the other you have to ask how much of his success has been due to playing with a generational talent.
Contract
It’s going to take a max deal to get Jalen Brunson and it’s debatable whether he’s worth it. When you consider that his numbers are pretty much the same as Saddiq Bey’s you have to wonder if he is truly good enough to be the second-best player on a contender that doesn’t have Luka.
Brunson may have another level, but it’s a risky bet for the Detroit Pistons because it is going to take a max deal (or close) to find out. The last thing a rebuilding team wants to do is pay max money for a guy who isn’t an All-Star.
The Detroit Pistons might be able to find a guard in the 2022 NBA Draft who can score 16 a game, so it seems like a big roll of the dice to pay a guy upwards of $20 million a season hoping that he has another level.
The Detroit Pistons did do this with Jerami Grant, but Grant’s skillset translated better to the modern NBA and he would have been a valuable contributor even if he wasn’t scoring 20 a game, as he is a versatile and long defender on the perimeter. You can’t say the same of Brunson, who would be a much larger risk in my opinion.
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?