The Detroit Pistons are entering what could be a very busy offseason.
They have to hire a new coach, the NBA Draft Lottery is two weeks away, then they will have the draft and free agency to try and add impact talent to a roster that just put up the worst win total in the NBA.
The Pistons also have to make decisions about their own players, as they have several who have team options that have to be decided soon and more who are due for extensions.
Choosing the right players to extend is crucial for a team that doesn’t want to get stuck with dead money on the books for players who are not performing.
The 2020 draft class is all up for extensions this summer, so which ones should the Detroit Pistons pursue?
Which players should the Detroit Pistons extend this summer?
Alec Burks
Isaiah Livers
Let’s start with the two guys who have team options for next season that have not yet been exercised. The Detroit Pistons have to make decisions about those options by the end of June, so they have another two months (roughly) and will know who they have secured in the NBA Draft by that point.
I’d guess that the Pistons will exercise the options on both players, as both represent value, but what about extensions? Burks could be trade bait this summer, but even if he is, the Pistons would be smart to extend him for two more years at the same rate. He’s never likely to be a sunk cost, as his ability to hit 3-point shots will play well into his mid 30’s. His trade value might even be higher if he were locked into a moderate two-year deal.
Same for Isaiah Livers, who was disappointing this season, but has the ability to be that glue 3-and-D guy off the bench that the Piston are missing. His qualifying offer is only $2.2 million, so the Pistons would be smart to lock him into a deal at that rate and hope he outplays it.
Which players should the Detroit Pistons extend this summer?
Isaiah Stewart
Qualifying offer: $7.3 million
If you’ve been paying attention to the NBA Playoffs, then you’ve seen just how valuable a tough, versatile big man can be to a team.
Unlike Troy Weaver’s vision from 1992, the playoffs have not featured many traditional centers and almost all of the teams are using lineups that rely on versatile bigs who can defend multiple spots and do more than stand in the lane.
Guys like Kevon Looney and PJ Tucker aren’t going to score a ton of points, but ask their teammates about how important they are to winning basketball games. Stephen Curry and James Harden get all of the press, but these guys are doing all of the dirty work that helps win games.
Beef Stew could be the same type of player for the Detroit Pistons, as he is already a very good defender who can handle multiple spots, stay in the post or switch on the perimeter. His shooting is improving and if he starts hitting 3-point shots, he could be the exact type of stretch-5 that teams love to have in the playoffs.
Stewarts’s QO is just over $7 million but he’ll probably get a little more than that. A 4 year/$40 million contract is probably what we are looking at, and that could prove to be a big bargain, as guys like Stewart are necessary on good teams.
The Pistons should extend Stewart this summer, get him at a discount and watch him become their Looney/Tucker type player as the team evolves.
Which players should the Detroit Pistons extend this summer?
James Wiseman
Qualifying offer: $15.8 million
Killian Hayes
Qualifying offer: $9.9 million
Count me as one who is still very dubious of the trade that brought James Wiseman to the Detroit Pistons. It isn’t because Saddiq Bey is so great or because Wiseman is terrible, but because he wasn’t a fit on the roster and I’m not sure he ever will be.
But Troy Weaver cannot compound that mistake by giving Wiseman an extension this summer without really seeing what he can bring to this team at full strength. There is not enough evidence yet, so there is no reason to commit to him long term.
Wiseman’s qualifying offer is a whopping $15.8 million, but I wouldn’t offer him that unless it was spread over three years. Weaver is known for falling in love with certain players and Wiseman appears to be one of them, but when you look at the playoffs and see how few traditional centers there are (I count three and one of them is Joel Embiid, who hardly represents a “typical” center), it’s hard to justify paying Wiseman, who should be a backup, anything more than backup center money. He should be allowed to play out the final year of his contract and see what happens.
He’d only be a restricted free agent, so if the Pistons want to keep him, they will have a chance, but there is no need to risk it now.
Same for Killian Hayes, who did show some improvement this season but is still the worst shooter in the NBA and too inconsistent at the things he actually does well. His defense comes and goes and his passing is often neutralized by the fact that you don’t have to worry about his shot.
I still have hope for Hayes, as guys who can defend are valuable even if they can’t score, but there is no reason to give him an extension until he proves he can be a competent backup for the whole season and accept that role.
If not, the Detroit Pistons could end up trading him this summer or sometime next season to avoid losing him for nothing, but what they can’t do is offer up a big extension to a guy who hasn’t yet earned it. Hayes’ qualifying offer is $9.9 million and to offer him that would be lunacy.