The Detroit Pistons’ biggest competition for Deandre Ayton

Detroit Pistons: Competition for Deandre Ayton

Detroit Pistons

Projected cap space: $27 million Ayton’s fit: Strong but not perfect The Detroit Pistons could potentially have the most cap space of any team in the NBA this offseason. They also need to upgrade the center position, so Ayton makes a lot of sense. Some have questions Ayton’s fit with the Pistons, mostly because he is used to winning and may value that more than the possibility of a bigger role on a rebuilding team that won fewer games in the last three seasons combined than the Suns won this year alone. I have no insight into Ayton’s though process when it comes to that, but on paper, he is nice fit for the Pistons, who have a solid young core and a need at center.

Ayton has thrived with a smart point guard, and the Pistons have one of the best up-and-coming guys in the league in

Cade Cunningham

, who would benefit from Ayton in the pick and roll and help him by creating open opportunities for the big man. The Detroit Pistons also have needs at shooting guard, but if they were to draft a guy like Jaden Ivey, adding Ayton suddenly makes a whole lot of sense and could potentially be enough to push the Pistons into playoff contention:

• Cade Cunningham
• Jaden Ivey
• Saddiq Bey
• Jerami Grant
• Deandre Ayton

There are a ton of potential moving parts here, as the Pistons could still trade Grant, and draft someone like Keegan Murray instead, which would still leave a hole in the starting five. Ayton’s fit really comes down to who the Pistons draft, and whether they want to invest big money into a center or just go with a center by committee, which teams like Boston are doing successfully right now. The Detroit Pistons have a lot to consider when it comes to Ayton, and they won’t be the only team in the mix for his services.