Detroit Pistons 2020 draft class missing out on the big payday

The Detroit Pistons still have three players from the 2020 NBA Draft on the roster in James Wiseman, Killian Hayes and Isaiah Stewart.

They traded Saddiq Bey at the deadline last season or they would have four players looking for rookie extensions this summer.

If you did a 2020 re-draft you can guarantee that James Wiseman and Killian Hayes would not be chosen 2nd and 7th, respectively, but you could argue that both Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart would go slightly higher.

So far that draft hasn’t yielded a quality NBA starter for the Pistons and it seems unlikely that any of the current guys from that class (Stewart maybe) will get an extension this summer.

That has to be a tough pill to swallow for these guys when they see some of the contracts that are being thrown around right now.

Detroit Pistons 2020 draft class missing out on the big payday

Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball, the two players taken just before and afterJames Wiseman, have both signed max deals that will could pay them upwards of $250 million. Desmond Bane, who was taken with the 30th pick, well after any of the current Pistons, just got himself a $207 million deal.

Meanwhile, the Pistons specifically traded Saddiq Bey because they wanted no part of his next contract. James Wiseman is on an expiring deal, not likely to get extended, and may have to take a pay cut on his next deal.

Same with Killian Hayes, who is due $7.4 million next season and may have to take a pay cut just to stay in the league unless he improves. I’m not sure the Detroit Pistons would extend him now even on a minimum deal.

Isaiah Stewart has a chance to sign an extension this summer, but after maxing out their cap space, Detroit might be more inclined to just let him play it out and see what happens. He could be a useful trade piece but there isn’t a lot of benefit to extending him now unless the Pistons think his new contract would represent a good value.

So while money is raining down on some of the top guys from the 2020 draft class, the guys on the Pistons are fighting to prove they even deserve a next deal.