The Detroit Pistons have the worst record in the NBA, but have still given fans plenty of reasons to be excited.
The young trio of Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren has a lot of promise, they will have a top-5 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and the cap space to add impact veterans this offseason.
But there are still a ton of question marks around this team, including everything from who will be coaching it to how they plan to use four big men in the rotation.
The future is unclear for a lot of players, including guys like RJ Hampton and Eugene Omoruyi, who have team options for next season and are trying to play their way into the mix.
But aside from these fringe bench players, there are three guys whose future in Detroit is murky at best, as it’s not clear how the Pistons plan to use them or if they will be on the team at all.
Detroit Pistons: 3 players with unclear futures
Hamidou Diallo
Diallo’s late-season injury was unfortunate, as he was really playing well and carving out a role for himself off the bench.
Diallo’s season took off when he stopped shooting from the outside and instead focused on defensive energy, playing in transition and trying to get to the rim at all costs.
Diallo averaged 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game over his last 25 games, really establishing himself as the Pistons’ energy guy.
Unfortunately, he may have played his last game in Detroit, as he is an unrestricted free agent and will be low on the list of the team’s offseason priorities.
The Pistons have cap space, but need to focus on adding impact talent, so Diallo will likely be left waiting while they do. Some other team may come in and offer him a deal right away, and if that happens, the Pistons will likely miss their chance to retain him.
Diallo became a fan-favorite, but that won’t likely be enough to keep him in Detroit unless he wants to wait around for the team to offer him a deal. Will he be back? I wouldn’t bet on it, but you can’t rule it out depending on what other moves the team makes in free agency.
Detroit Pistons: 3 players with unclear futures
Killian Hayes
If you asked 1000 fans what the Detroit Pistons plan to do with Killian Hayes next season, you’d get a lot of different answers.
Hayes has been good at times, and has some intangibles that don’t necessarily translate to the box scores. We’ve talked ad nauseam about his defense and passing, as well as the fact that he is the NBA’s worst shooter.
But do the Pistons see him as the backup of the future? If so, do they plan to extend him to a modest deal this summer? If not, will he be traded or do they want to see one more season of this?
I honestly have no earthly clue how the Pistons view Hayes and his future in Detroit, as he has not played well enough to be in the rotation of a playoff team, but still has tantalizing potential, especially if viewing him as a backup.
Does Detroit really want to play next season with Killian’s contract and restricted free agency hanging over them or is now the right time for a change of scenery?
The emergence of Jaden Ivey as a lead guard hasn’t helped Killian, as he is pretty much redundant if you stagger Ivey with Cade Cunningham and add a quality backup point guard. The Pistons can’t go into next season with Hayes, Cory Joseph, Rodney McGruder and RJ Hampton as their backup guards and expect to improve much, so some of them have got to be replaced with better players.
So where does that leave Killian Hayes? Your guess is as good as mine.
Detroit Pistons: 3 players with unclear futures
James Wiseman
James Wiseman continues to start even though Jalen Duren is the better player, and it is clear the Pistons are trying to see what they have.
Wiseman is undoubtedly an intriguing talent, and at times you can see exactly what Golden State was thinking when they drafted him second overall in the 2020 NBA Draft.
But how do they view his future?
Is he the starter and Duren the backup? That seems unlikely given that Duren is a better defender, rebounder, screener and passer. Do they see Wiseman as a possible trade chip? Maybe, but he probably hasn’t done enough to really improve his value on the trade market, so what could the Pistons really expect to get?
Will they extend him this summer? A lot of risk/reward factors in play with that one.
Do they really think Wiseman can play with another big? The results thus far have not been encouraging.
Wiseman still has one more year left on his deal, so the Pistons could just be patient and see how things go next season. However, if they are really trying to improve and be competitive next season, an extended tryout and experiment with a starting spot isn’t the way to do it.
There’s also the mixed message it sends, as Duren lost his spot for no reason (other than he had to miss a few games with injury) and the development of Wiseman has been put at the forefront. This is hardly the meritocracy we’ve heard about.
This just seems like a mess, as Detroit doesn’t have a clear angle or agenda here. If they go into next season with the same four bigs on the roster, it’s tough to see how they will improve, so there’s also that.
Of all of the situations on the team, this one is the least clear, and the one the Pistons need to future out.