Pistons have concerning Paul Reed problem

Trajan Langdon has navigated the fringes of the roster brilliantly this season, finding cheap impact players in Daniss Jenkins, Javonte Green and Paul Reed, but they won’t be cheap forever. 

Reed has been the best third center in the league this season and has stepped up time and time again when called upon, including last night against the Knicks, when he held his own against the Knicks’ bigs with both Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart on the bench. 

When Reed plays, he certainly doesn’t look like a third center, and he wouldn’t be if he were playing for about 20 other teams in the NBA, but the Pistons happen to have two younger centers in front of him in the pecking order. 

Reed is on a bargain contract that pays him just $5.3 million this season and $5.6 million next season, though next year is not fully guaranteed. 

It would be great to keep BBall Paul around, but he may eventually be a luxury the Pistons can’t afford. 

The Pistons will be heavily invested in the center position next season 

After failing to extend Jalen Duren on his rookie deal last offseason, the Pistons are going to have to pay up in restricted free agency, and it’s not going to be cheap, as Duren has been great this season and is fresh off his first All-Star appearance. 

He’s going to get paid, which means the Pistons will have a ton of money tied up in the center position with Isaiah Stewart already under contract for $15 million a year. 

When you factor in Reed, the Pistons could have close to $60 million tied up in their three centers, which may force them to make some tough decisions. 

Even though Reed is on a bargain deal, he’s going to command more eventually and may garner some interest league wide if the Pistons wanted to trade him. Detroit has another player in Tolu Smith who could slide into that third center role at a fraction of the cost. 

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, as Reed plays Detroit basketball and is a nice weapon to have if someone gets hurt or suspended, but as the roster gets more expensive at the top, the Pistons may have to trim at the bottom, and look for less expensive ways to plug the holes, as they did with Daniss Jenkins. 

This is why it is crucial to consistently develop young talent under the more punitive tax rules, as it’s even more difficult to keep a team together when the contracts start to go up.