The Detroit Pistons will be looking for shooting and depth at power forward this summer and could turn to unrestricted free agent Rui Hachimura.
In a recent report from Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Hachimura was identified as the possible “odd man out” for the Lakers when it comes to retaining their own free agents.
“Several league sources told ESPN they believe Hachimura could be the odd man out and that he might need to explore the market to find a desired deal.”
Hachimura had a fantastic season shooting the ball from long range, hitting 44 percent for the regular season and an eye-opening 57 percent in the playoffs. It’s safe to say that if the Pistons had Hachimura shooting some of those wide-open corner 3’s in the playoffs, they might have at least beaten the Cavs.
He’s not a perfect player by any means, but a guy with his size who can shoot 40+ percent from long range is a luxury Cade Cunningham has never had.
The fit is there, but the question is whether there is any way for the Pistons to get him.
Rui Hachimura may have played his way out of the Pistons’ range
The Pistons aren’t likely to be operating as a cap space team, as it would take too many painful cuts of rotation players to get them there.
They could have the mid-level exception, and I listed Hachimura as a possibility for it, but he may have played his way into a bigger salary with a nice performance in the playoffs.
The MLE is only $15 million, so would be a pay cut from the $18.3 million Hachimura made this season, something he may be open to if it is part of a longer deal.
But at that price, there will be other teams calling and there are couple (Bulls and Nets) who also have shooting needs and the cap space to outbid the Pistons.
Such a signing may also rule out bringing back Tobias Harris, which Trajan Langdon has made clear is something he wants to do. Harris and Hachimura would be a nice power forward platoon that would also bolster the bench depth, but the Pistons may not have the financial wiggle room for both.
All of these factors make Hachimura a long shot to land in Detroit, unless the market is unexpectedly limited for his services.
There are a lot of competing factors in the offseason, so the market may dictate that Hachimura has to settle for the MLE, which could make him a possible target depending on how things shake out with the big names of the offseason.
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