The Detroit Pistons have done one of the most important things an NBA team can do under the new tax rules, which is avoid bad contracts.
The Pistons may not have gotten high offseason grades from some publications, but they haven’t done anything stupid and sometimes what you don’t do is as important as what you do.
Bad contracts are hugely punitive now and the Pistons have to be patient when considering new deals for Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, while continuing to avoid signing older veterans to high-value deals.
The Pistons stayed away from names like Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant and Marcus Smart, players whose age and injury histories do not align with Trajan Langdon’s vision, one that was fine-tuned in New Orleans, where his stars were always injured and they gave out long-term extensions to players past their prime.
The Pistons have also avoided what has become the biggest saga of the offseason, which is the Jonathan Kuminga situation in Golden State.
The Detroit Pistons are avoiding a free agent fit
The back and forth between the Warriors and Kuminga has been going on all summer. They reportedly offered a two-year deal that he turned down and Kuminga’s camp has made it clear he does not want to play in Golden State.
This is a giant red flag to me, as he’s turning down a chance to play with an all-time great and one of the best organizations in the sport. Kuminga wants a bigger role and longer deal, but has done painfully little to earn either, though he did play well in the playoffs at times.
There have been several teams attached to Kuminga in possible sign-and-trades, including the Bulls and most recently the Kings, two of the dumbest organizations in the sport. I wouldn’t want a player who would rather play for the Kings than the Warriors, but that’s just me.
It’s also the Pistons, who have not shown any interest in Kuminga even though they have a clear long-term need at power forward with Tobias Harris on an expiring contract and no immediate replacement.
The Pistons have their own future restricted free agents to worry about in Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey, who have both shown more than Kuminga at this point in their respective careers.
Even though the need is there, and Kuminga has intriguing talent, the Pistons were wise to stay away from this mess to focus on their own guys and complementing them with the right veterans instead of chasing an unproven talent with some red flags.