Pistons could have their own Peyton Watson situation brewing

The Denver Nuggets were forced to trade Peyton Watson after his breakout season or face the wrath of the second tax apron. 

You can blame their billionaire owners for being cheap (they are), or you can blame the contract the Nugs gave out to Christian Braun, but the end result was that they lost a promising young player and didn’t get anything in return other than a distant first-round pick. 

This is the reality of the tax apron era, as teams are going to have to plan ahead for future contracts by not overpaying players now, which is the situation the Pistons are in with Jalen Duren, as they are trying to keep his salary low to prepare for future signings. 

One of the players Detroit has to consider is Ron Holland II, who could end up in the exact situation Watson was just in. 

The Pistons have their own Peyton Watson situation at home 

There were Pistons fans who were hoping that Detroit would pursue Watson, but there was really no reason, as they potentially have their own version in Ron Holland. 

Watson started as a 6-foot-8 wing who was a very good defender but offered little on offense. Sound familiar? 

Last season, Watson broke out in an expanded role and ended up averaging over 14.6 points per game. He’s still unproven, as much of that came in one hot streak, but Watson did enough to grab the attention of the league and make them think he was a blossoming two-way wing. 

Holland is already a very good defender as well and will look to add offensive nuance to his game in this season and next. 

There is a world in which Holland, like Watson, gets increased opportunity in that time and starts putting up numbers. 

If Holland were to have a breakout season this year or next, the Pistons would be put in a similar situation as the one the Nuggets were just in with Watson, which is trying to figure out how much is too much for their restricted free agent. 

To be clear, a Holland breakout would be a good thing, as he could be an X-Factor that transforms the team if he just does a few things better, but the contract situation could get dicey, as he was a top 5 pick and will be eligible for a ton of money after his rookie-scale contract ends. 

That doesn’t mean he’s going to get it, but if Holland has shown the offensive promise that Watson (who is two years older) did last season, there will be teams lined up with offer sheets the Pistons may not want to match. 

The Pistons have to already be thinking about this, as Holland could be trade bait at the deadline if they think there’s a chance they won’t be able to fit him on the payroll in the future. 

Restricted free agency has become increasingly fraught with these types of contract challenges, and Holland might be the next one for the Pistons. 

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