The Detroit Pistons quietly exercised team options on Ausar Thompson, Ron Holland and Marcus Sasser last week and didn’t bother to tell anyone, as they didn’t have an official announcement.
The first two were no surprise at all, as Thompson and Holland are definitely part of the Pistons’ long-term plans, but Sasser was a bit of a surprise, as exercising his option means a big pay raise for next year.
It was the 4th-year option for Thompson and Sasser, while Holland’s was the option for his third season. Both Thompson and Sasser will now be eligible for extensions next summer, and Thompson is almost certain to get one, hopefully somewhere in the range of the one Toumani Camara just got in Portland.
As for Sasser, his salary will nearly double next season, so it was somewhat surprising the Pistons picked it up given that he only appeared in 57 games last season and has yet to play in this one.
But the Pistons are betting Sasser will provide them value, either as a bench player on a team-friendly deal or as part of a trade package.
Detroit Pistons making a bet on Marcus Sasser
The Pistons have already had to lean heavily on their depth this season with Jaden Ivey, Caris LeVert and Marcus Sasser out and could definitely use Sasser’s shot creation off the bench right now, as the half-court offense has been sputtering.
Sasser has shown that he can score efficiently, but he still has to prove he can handle the ball some, create shots for his teammates and hold his own defensively. He should get his chance if he can get back into the lineup soon, as Ivey is still out for several more weeks and the Pistons have had to turn to two-way player Daniss Jenkins, rookie Chaz Lanier and journeyman Javonte Green more than they would like to early on.
Even though Sasser’s contract jumps up to $5.1 million, it’s still a very movable deal and one that might come in handy if the Pistons need to aggregate salaries in a big trade, either before the deadline or sometime next offseason.
We’ve seen a ton of big trade proposals, but few of them factor in that the Pistons don’t have big salaries to send back, so will need to package several players to match the money, which could make that $5.1 million handy next offseason.
For now, the Pistons are betting that Sasser will outperform that contract and give them valuable minutes off the bench, but he has to get healthy first. It’s a shame Sasser is missing a golden opportunity to get big minutes with Ivey out, as the Pistons could use his scoring punch off the bench.