LeBron James signed a two-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, which was somewhat surprising given that the Warriors, Heat and Cavaliers were also rumored to be in the chase.
What wasn't surprising is that LeBron didn't choose the Detroit Pistons, in fact, they were never a consideration even though they had the best record in the Eastern Conference last season and LeBron said his top criteria was winning a title.
We knew LeBron was never going to choose Detroit, so it wasn't a disappointment, but this has been an ongoing problem for the Pistons that doesn't seem to have a solution.
The Pistons never get the top free agents
LeBron is far from the first free agent that hasn't even looked Detroit's way, in fact, it's become an annual tradition.
This made sense for many years when Detroit was terrible, as the top guys aren't going to leap onto a sinking ship. But it was the same when the Pistons were good and it's the same now when they have one of the top young teams in the NBA.
This is why the Pistons have always had to build their best teams through the draft and trades. It makes no sense, as Detroit has been one of the most successful franchises, has great fans, an owner willing to spend money and a downtown that is on the come up.
They also have one of the best players in the league in Cade Cunningham, an unselfish superstar who makes everyone around him better. The Pistons' roster is tailor made for a guy like LeBron, as they have the offensive engine that will allow him to be the second fiddle and the defensive infrastructure to let him slack.
Instead, LeBron chose Philly, a team that hasn't won anything forever, has a superstar who is always hurt and cantankerous fans who are going to turn on him after his first bad game. They also now have four ball-dominant guys who were all among the league leaders in usage rate last season.
There is an argument that Detroit was a better option, but was never a consideration. The question is why?
The Pistons are trapped in the John Collins tier of free agency
It's not like the Pistons never sign a free agent, but they always tend to be of the John Collins variety, good players who arent anywhere near the top tier.
The Pistons get role players looking for bigger roles or they get former stars that are well past their prime.
Detroit gets the Kevin Huerters, the Javonte Greens, the Kevin Knoxes, free agents that the league has forgotten or never knew about in the first place. The Pistons arguably have the worst free-agent history in the NBA, as their best acquisitions (Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess) were still journeymen retreads who just happened to work out in Detroit.
It's why Detroit had to tank for years to finally get their superstar, while teams like Miami just get whichever one is available in free agency, or in the case of Giannis, whichever superstar orchestrates a trade to their city.
Free agency isn't the only way to build a team, and the top guys often don't always work out, but it's a shortcut to team building that the Pistons have never had and it doesn't appear that's going to change anytime soon.
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