Cory Joseph had another week to decide whether he wanted to come back to the Detroit Pistons. However, it appears he felt no need to drag it out, as Joseph has reportedly exercised his player option.
One never knows what goes on behind closed doors, when agents are negotiating with management on their player’s behalf. Pistons general manager Troy Weaver has been shown to be a tough negotiator..
How tough? According to Spotrac, only three players (Jerami Grant, Kelly Olynyk and Cade Cunningham) make over $10 million in yearly salary. Weaver’s stinginess is a major reason the Pistons are one of the few NBA teams with salary cap space
Weaver has also been tough on guaranteeing money (unlike his predecessor). Detroit has a club option on four players for next season, including key parts of the rotation like Hamidou Diallo and Frank Jackson.
But one player had negotiated that it would be his decision whether or not he came back: Cory Joseph.
Detroit Pistons guard Cory Joseph is opting into his $5.1 million player option for the 2022-23 season, league sources tell @YahooSports.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 21, 2022
He had until June 28 before he had to make the decision on his option.
Joseph is a 6-foot-3 guard who ended up starting 39 games beside Cade Cunningham in the backcourt. However, for most of his career, Joseph has been used as a valuable bench piece. In his previous 10 years in the NBA, Joseph has never started more than 26 games in a season.
However, with Killian Hayes playing more comfortably off the bench, Joseph stepped in and provided secondary ball handling and outside shooting. In Joseph’s final 20 starts, the Pistons had a record of 9-11, a vast improvement over what they did earlier in the season.
Joseph also shot a career-high 41.4 percent on three-pointers. On a Detroit team sorely lacking in outside shooting, Joseph’s improvement on three-pointers was most welcome.
Besides the on the court contributions, Joseph served as a mentor to Hayes and Cade Cunningham. Joseph earned a ring with San Antonio in 2014, so he knows what it takes to build a winning culture. Joseph, a captain on Canada’s national team, is one of those high-character guys Weaver loves to have on the team.
Joseph, who will be 31-years-old by training camp, has always thrived playing for coach Dwane Casey. In Detroit, and in a previous turn with Casey in Toronto, Joseph has averaged 8.9 points in both settings, the highest scoring average in his career.
But staying with the Pistons means Joseph probably this season will not be getting a second championship ring, yet he still optioned in for another year. Remember, the decision was entirely his.