Detroit Pistons free agency: Cam Johnson or Jerami Grant?

When the Detroit Pistons made Monty Williams the highest paid coach in the NBA, it was a sign that the time to start winning is now.

That doesn’t mean the Pistons are going to go “all in” on a trade, but this is the first offseason in Troy Weaver’s tenure when he is expected to put a winning roster on the floor.

The most likely routes to that improvement will come with the 5th pick in the draft (whether they use it or trade it) and in free agency, where the Detroit Pistons will have upwards of $30 million in cap space to spend.

James Edwards III of The Athletic (SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED) thinks the Pistons will likely make their biggest splash in free agency and offered up a couple of names.

"“The Pistons will likely look to make its biggest addition in free agency — hello, Jerami Grant and Cam Johnson. I could also see them using the No. 5 pick and/or Bojan Bogdanovic to make improvements to the roster. Detroit has options for the first time in a long time, and that’s always the first sign of a potential healthy organization.”"

Cam Johnson and Jerami Grant are both names we’ve brought up as possibilities in free agency, but which one would be the better fit? Which one would be easier to obtain?

Let’s start with the money.

Detroit Pistons free agency: Cam Johnson or Jerami Grant?

The Money

If the Detroit Pistons want to land either of these players in free agency, they are going to have to spend big bucks to do it.

Jerami Grant is an unrestricted free agent, and after having another very good season, he will have suitors. You can expect him to get a raise this summer and end up signing a deal in the 4 year/$120 million range at least.

With so few quality free-agent forwards on the market, and Grant arguably the best of the lot, he’s going to get paid. He already turned down a massive extension offer from Portland, so don’t expect Detroit to get any discounts.

Even at that cost, Grant is more obtainable than Cam Johnson, who is just a restricted free agent, meaning Brooklyn can match any offer. He’s not likely to get as much as Grant, but the Nets aren’t likely to just let him walk after he was one of the central players in the Kevin Durant trade.

Expect Brooklyn to match almost any offer, which makes Grant more obtainable even though he’ll probably end up making more money.

Advantage: Grant