The Detroit Pistons entered this offseason with the most cap space of any team in the NBA, but mostly opted to sit on it, re-signing their own free agents and making minor moves instead of the big splash.
They didn’t make a serious run at any of the top guys and now have 19 players under contract for next season (including the two-way guys) and could go into next season without any more major additions to the roster.
The Pistons will roll with a very young roster once again, but Cade Cunningham should have a little more firepower around him and they will hopefully take the next step towards sustained contention.
They kept their powder dry for next offseason, when they will once again have a copious amount of cap space, but this time, there will be more top guys to potentially spend it on.
Detroit Pistons: Cap space in the Summer of 2023
According to ESPN (SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED) the Detroit Pistons are one of four teams (Rockets, Spurs, Magic) that could have a minimum of $60 million in cap space next summer due to their young rosters and a rise in the projected salary cap.
The problem is that unlike this Summer, nearly half of the league will have some amount of cap space, though that number could certainly be smaller after the dust settles this offseason depending on what happens.
The Detroit Pistons will likely have stiff competition for talent, but will have the cap space to make a run at a max guy (or two) or to spread that money around to several quality rotation players.
There is plenty of talent to choose from, starting with some ex-MVPs and future Hall-of-Famers and bunch of All-Stars and impact starters.
Detroit Pistons: Top NBA 2023 free agents
The Detroit Pistons will have the cap space to land just about anyone on this list, but several of these guys probably won’t be available by next Summer, and many of them are players who aren’t great fits because of age or position.
- LeBron James- If LeBron doesn’t sign an extension with the Lakers, he is going to be one of the most coveted free agents of all time even though he is pushing 40-years-old. He’ll probably stay with the Lakers, and even if he doesn’t, he’s not coming to the Detroit Pistons. James is the only guy on this list who would change the economy of the city he joins (especially if he goes back to Cleveland) so he is in a category of his own.
The next tier are the All-Stars and one former MVP
- Kyrie Irving: Please god no.
- Draymond Green
- James Harden
- Andrew Wiggins
- Khris Middleton
- Fred VanVleet
Wiggins and Middleton might interest the Detroit Pistons, as they could use their wing defense and shooting, but other than that, Green and Harden are too old and will be chasing rings and VanVleet isn’t a great fit positionally.
Detroit Pistons: 2023 NBA free agent starters
The next tier of guys includes players who are all starters for their respective teams. It is a deep group with a lot of names that might interest the Detroit Pistons.
- DeAndre Hunter
- Nikola Vucevic
- Christian Wood: No thanks
- Tyler Herro
- Myles Turner
- De’Angelo Russell
- RJ Barrett
- Jerami Grant
- Harrison Barnes
- Bojan Bogdanovic
- Kyle Kuzma
- Kristaps Porzingis
- Jordan Poole
There are several names on this list that might interest the Detroit Pistons, though many of these players will end up signing extensions with the teams they are currently on. It’s hard to see the Pistons going after another center, though a guy like Myles Turner who can spread the floor could be an option.
Herro and Poole are probably the most interesting fits, but it’s highly likely that both of them re-sign with their current teams. Barrett is another guy who would be a nice fit, though the Knicks are likely to do everything they can to keep him.
Barnes, Grant and Bogdanovic seem like moves that wouldn’t really move the needle much, same with Kuzma. Porzingis is another interesting name, and would be a great fit as a stretch four for the Pistons, but do they really want to take a risk on a guy with his injury history?
The Detroit Pistons will almost certainly kick the tires on some of these guys, though this list is likely to be way shorter by next offseason.
Detroit Pistons: 2023 NBA free agents, the fringe starters
All of these players have started or do start for their current teams, but are more in the role player category. Some of these names could draw interest in Detroit depending on how some of their 2022 offseason additions pan out.
- Bogdan Bogdanovic
- Al Horford
- Seth Curry
- PJ Washington
- Caris LeVert
- Kevin Porter Jr.
- Reggie Jackson
- Russell Westbrook
- Steven Adams
- Dillon Brooks
- Brandon Clarke
- Brook Lopez
- Matisse Thybulle
- Cam Johnson
- Josh Hart
- Gary Trent Jr.
- Will Barton
There are a few names on this list that I have lobbied for in the past, including Josh Hart (love him), Matisse Thybulle (would be a nice defensive stopper for Detroit) and Bogdan Bogdanovic, who would give the Pistons some additional size and shooting on the wing.
I don’t think there is anyone on this list that significantly moves the needle for the Detroit Pistons, so these would be the guys they pursued if they missed out on the top guys and couldn’t find any suitable trades to add star-level talent.
Detroit Pistons: 2023 NBA free agent reserves
This list is mostly role players, but there are some guys who could help the Pistons when it comes time to fill out their roster and look for answers to specific weaknesses. Here are a just a few of the names that could draw some interest:
- Grant Williams
- TJ Warren
- Kelly Oubre Jr.
- Ayo Dosunmu
- Andre Drummond
- Kevin Love
- Bruce Brown
- Alec Burks
- Hamidou Diallo
- Nerlens Noel
- Cory Joseph
- Donte DiVincenzo
- Max Strus
- Talen Horton-Tucker
- Jaxson Hayes
- Malik Beasley
As you can see, there are a whole lot of former and current Pistons on this list. I could definitely see the Pistons bringing back Burks and Noel depending on how things go this season, as they have team options on both and they are on reasonable deals.
Max Strus would be a nice shooter to add to the roster, as would a guy like Grant Williams, who was a very good two-way player for the Celtics last season.
This is a just a fraction of the list, though plenty of these guys will exercise player or team options next season that will keep them out of free agency.
The Detroit Pistons are finally going to have cap space in a free-agency class that has a lot of talent, so they should be able to add an impact player or two next offseason.