The Detroit Pistons could look to free agency for offseason additions, but the options this summer will be limited for several reasons.
The best fits might come out of Minnesota, who is currently playing in the Western Conference Finals but will have to make some tough payroll decisions this summer.
Other than that, many of the best options are restricted free agents, which doesn’t bode well for Detroit.
RFA’s don’t change teams often, as their original team has the right to match any deal and won’t want to lose the player for nothing. We have seen sign-and-trades work in the past but chasing Restricted Free Agents can be a bit of Fool’s Gold.
It ties up cap space while the player is making their decision and could cost the Pistons a chance at a different player if an offer sheet lingers.
There are players in the restricted category that make sense for Detroit, but it won’t be easy to steal them away, and if their current team wants that player back, it will be almost impossible.
Restricted free agents for the Detroit Pistons
Jonathan Kuminga
Quentin Grimes
Cam Thomas
Santi Aldama
We’ve talked about nearly all of these players at some point, so check out the free agency section of PistonPowered for longer articles about each guy.
Of these four, I’d eliminate Grimes and Thomas first, as I don’t see them as possibilities in Detroit. Thomas is a one-dimensional scorer, who doesn’t fit into the defensive culture the Pistons are trying to build.
Grimes will likely stay in Philly, where he blew up this season, and there didn’t seem to be much mutual interest when he was on the Pistons the first time.
Kuminga is an interesting name that a lot of teams will be eye-balling this summer, as he’s still very young and has shown he can at least be an impact rotation player on a playoff team.
He’d be a long-term answer for the Pistons’ biggest need, which is at power forward.
For me, the only player of this group I would make a play for is Santi Aldama, as he’d be the perfect fit for what Detroit needs.
He’s basically a seven-footer who can shoot 3-pointers, grab rebounds and make plays, as he is a sneaky-good passer who averaged just under three assists per game.
He’d be a nice complement to Tobias Harris as a stretch four and would give Cade Cunningham another weapon. Aldama has improved every season he’s been in the league and is a guy who still has room for growth.
The question is what Memphis is going to do this summer. They are a at a bit of a crossroads, as they have Aldama along with two players who just made the All-Rookie team, so now may be the right time to sell off one of Ja Morant or Jaren Jackson Jr. and reboot around their youth.
If so, they’ll make re-signing Aldama a priority, but if not, it will be tough for them to bring him back and still keep their entire roster intact.
Restricted free agency is a long shot for Detroit but there are names to monitor who could become available depending on which direction their teams decide to go.