Detroit Pistons: 7 biggest free-agent mistakes in team history
Detroit Pistons: 7 biggest free-agent mistakes in team history
Bison Dele: 7 years/$45 million
Bison Dele was a very talented played and I’ve actually referred to him as one of the most underrated Pistons off all time.
He was a big man who could score around the rim, put the ball on the floor and rebound but he only played two of those SEVEN years for Detroit before quitting the NBA and eventually dying in mysterious and tragic fashion.
It’s wild to think about a seven-year contact now, but these lengthy deals were one of the big reasons the NBA had to limit teams to five years on a max deal.
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Reggie Jackson: 5 years/$80 million
This one hurts, as Reggie Jackson was a pretty good player for the Detroit Pistons, had some big moments, memorable games and was very popular. But let’s face it, he was overpaid, as Detroit traded for him and then immediately signed him to an extension before ever seeing what he could do as a starter.
Jackson was electric in the backup point guard role for OKC behind Russell Westbrook, but it never really translated to a starting role even though he was getting paid like it. Jackson has had a long and productive career that is still going on in Denver, but he’s shown in that time that he was never quite good enough to be your top paid player, which he was for a lot of his time in Detroit and was better suited to be a role player on a good team.