The Detroit Pistons need to make big improvements to the roster if they expect to pivot towards being competitive next season.
Luckily, they have ways to add impact talent, including the 5th and 31st picks in the 2023 NBA Draft, as well as plenty of cap space to use in free agency and trades.
With a number of weaknesses to address, the Detroit Pistons should be one of the most active teams this offseason, which they kicked off by signing coach Monty Williams to the biggest deal in NBA history.
The attention will first be on the draft, where the Pistons could use the 5th pick to grab one of the talented forwards on the board, or to trade for a proven player or more draft assets.
But the big splash could come in free agency or trades, so how much much will the Detroit Pistons have to spend?
Detroit Pistons: Cap space and salary breakdown
Here is how the salaries break down for the Detroit Pistons next season:
- Bojan Bogdanovic: $20 million
- Marvin Bagley III: $12.5 million
- James Wiseman: $12.1 million
- Cade Cunningham: $11.05 million
- Alec Burks: $10.48 (Team Option)
- Jaden Ivey: $7.6 million
- Killian Hayes: $7.4 million
- Isaiah Stewart: $5.2 million
- Jalen Duren: $4.3 million
- RJ Hampton: $1.99 million (non-guaranteed)
- Eugene Omoruyi: $1.92 million (Team Option)
- Isaiah Livers: $1.83 million (Team Option)
When you count they active roster, dead money and cap holds, the Detroit Pistons have $129,280,248 allocated for next season.
According to Spotrac, that would give them $29,663,153 in projected cap space for next season and that number could balloon up to $41,428,736 if they decline all of their team options.
The only options that are likely to be exercised are those of Alec Burks and Isaiah Livers, as it’s doubtful we see either RJ Hampton or Eugene Omoruyi back unless the Pistons are trying to fill out the back end of the bench, so expect the number to be closer to $30 million than $40.
Detroit is likely to have the second-most cap space of any team this summer behind the Houston Rockets, which could help them in the chase of both unrestricted or restricted free agents or to eat some salary in a big trade.