Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons made what he hopes will be the first of many All-NBA teams yesterday.
Cade made the 3rd team, narrowly missing the second and there is an argument that he should have moved up depending on how you feel about the debate between Cade and Anthony Edwards.
It is an honor that puts a cap on a breakout season for Cunningham in which he also made his first All-Star team.
The Pistons were obviously happy to watch their franchise player blossom into a superstar, but it’s not going to help Detroit when it comes to building a better roster.
Detroit Pistons’ cap space
Cunningham’s All-NBA selection means he’s going to get a substantial raise next season, as he is now eligible for five percent more of the total cap space.
This means the Pistons will go from an estimated $28 million in cap space down to around 19, which may cost them a chance at a significant upgrade this offseason.
Detroit Pistons’ free agency
The Pistons were never likely to add another star this offseason, as they need more time to evaluate their own core to see if they may already have that player in house.
But the Pistons could have added a super role player like Naz Reid, a possibility that just decreased significantly now that Detroit has less cap space.
This will likely force the Pistons to look into the next tier of free agency or just forgo it altogether to bring back their own guys.
When you think about the difference nine million could make, consider that Malik Beasley made six last season, Simone Fontecchio just over seven, so you can get a rotation player for that amount of cap space.
Trajan Langdon has already been preaching patience and will double down on that now that he has less money to throw around this offseason.
He’ll be looking for the next Beasley, a guy who outplays his contract and offers big value for money, but if you were hoping for the Pistons to make a big splash in free agency, you’re probably going to be disappointed.
How does Cade Cunningham get to the next level?
The scary thing about Cunningham is that he still has plenty of room to improve even after this monster season.
His 3-point shot abandoned him in the playoffs, something I am sure he’ll be working on this summer, primarily by getting into even better physical condition to handle the rigors of a full NBA season plus playoffs.
That will also help him with finishing around the rim, another area of needed improvement, as he only made around half of his layups this season.
Cunningham’s breakout year will cost the Pistons some cap space, but they’ll make that trade off anytime, as they now know they have a superstar to build around, which is the most important thing in the NBA and also the most difficult to find.