The Detroit Pistons have had a relatively quiet offseason after a flurry of moves around the NBA Draft.
Detroit still has at least one minor move to make, as they have too many players on the roster. It’s likely they will just buy out Kemba Walker, unless of course they can find a taker for him in a trade.
Walker is just one of many notable NBA players whose futures are still up in the air, as this offseason has a ton of big-name veteran free agents still on the market.
Guys like Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo, who were once the elite of the NBA, are still looking for jobs. At this stage, they are all back-of-the-bench veterans, but they headline a large group of players who still haven’t found teams even though we are less than a month away from training camp.
This is partially because teams were waiting for the dominos to fall with guys like Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell and Kevin Durant. Now that they have, teams will start to fill out their rosters with the remaining free agents.
The other reason is the way the salary cap is now structured. Max contract players are getting upwards of 30 percent of the team’s overall salary cap, so many of the contending teams are going with young, cheap players to fill out the bottom of the payroll, which has had an effect on mid-range and older veterans.
The list includes a whole lot of ex-Detroit Pistons, some of whom might be left un-signed heading into training camp.
Detroit Pistons: Available NBA free agents
If you are looking to sign an ex-Piston this offseason, there are plenty still to choose from, and it will be interesting to see where they end up.
- Blake Griffin
- Avery Bradley
- Wayne Ellington
- Greg Monroe
- Frank Jackson
- DJ Augustin
- Tyler Cook
- Carsen Edwards
I don’t think there are any big surprises here, as Blake Griffin is now 33-years-old, though I assume he will eventually find a team.
Same with Avery Bradley, who is just 31 and started 45 games for the Lakers last season. Ellington and Monroe could be out of luck, though Ellington can still shoot and played in 43 games for the Lakers last season. Monroe appeared in just 14 games, so he will be fighting for a roster spot even though he is still miraculously only 32-years-old.
Of these names, Frank Jackson seems to have the most to offer, as he has at least been an impact scorer off the bench at times, though his 3-point shooting took a huge dip last season. He’s just 24-years-old and will probably get a shot somewhere.
The NBA still has a lot of notable free agents on the market, and I assume we will see some of these guys get snatched up as teams complete their rosters before training camp.