The Detroit Pistons need more size and depth off their bench and may be able to find it in unrestricted free agent Jake LaRavia.
The interest may be mutual, as LaRavia named the Pistons as one of the teams he’s targeting in his free agency in a recent interview.
LaRavia is an underrated two-way wing who is a solid defender who can make plays with his passing and score efficiently around the rim. His 3-point shooting was up to 42.3 percent this season between Memphis and Sacramento though he does not shoot a high volume.
He’s the type of value upgrade the Pistons should be looking for and would give them a legit backup power forward for Tobias Harris and another player who can make plays off the bench.
LaRavia is the type of glue guy who can help in a lot of ways, and at 23-years-old, his best years are still ahead of him. He’d make a nice free-agent addition to the Pistons, who will have a key advantage in negotiations.
Detroit Pistons free agency: Bidding war for Jake LaRavia
The Kings would love to bring LaRavia back but have a top-heavy payroll that is going to make it difficult for them to keep or add depth.
Sacramento is only able to offer LaRavia a raise up to $5.3 million next season, which they could expand somewhat by adding extra years as is explained here on The Game Theory podcast.
A team like the Pistons could use cap space or their exception to offer substantially more, so if they want LaRavia, they can likely steal him away.
Even with a raise, Detroit could view LaRavia as a Malik Beasley-type, a player who is going to outplay his contract and offer great value for money.
If the Pistons were to make an offer in the $8 million per season range over 2-3 seasons, LaRavia could end up representing significant value at that price.
I’m on record about a million times saying the Pistons need quality depth more than star power at this point, as they still need to evaluate a young core that still hasn’t played much together after Jaden Ivey was limited to 30 games this season.
In an era where teams have to be far more careful with their money, the Pistons have to know what they have before committing big dollars or making a significant trade. They should instead be leaning into depth, looking for value and adding contracts that will be easy to move if and when they do make a big trade.
LaRavia would represent that kind of move, and if the Pistons want him, they can likely poach him from Sacramento.