The Detroit Pistons are walking into a very weird Daniss Jenkins dilemma. After the Pistons’ relative lack of big-swing trades this summer, they need guys to make leaps. Jenkins is one of those guys. However, Jenkins is also entering a contract year. So, the better he plays, the more he’ll want to be paid next summer.
This past postseason, Cade Cunningham was the driving force of the Pistons’ offense. When he didn’t have it going, the Pistons looked to guys like Jenkins, Tobias Harris, and Caris LeVert to steady the ship. Well, Harris and LeVert are gone. Jenkins is still in town. A big year from him could do wonders for the Pistons’ offense.
But if he plays too well, he could demand a massive contract. And that could worsen the Pistons’ looming second-apron worries.
Daniss Jenkins' performance next year affects Pistons' ceiling and payroll
Right now, the Pistons are well under the second apron. Next year, they won’t be anywhere close to the mark. Detroit is a whopping $67.3 million below the second apron heading into next season.
But that’s without factoring in the Jalen Duren extension. He still needs to be paid. And next summer, Jenkins isn’t the only guy in need of a new contract. Ausar Thompson will need one, too.
So, the Jenkins of it all will be a very serious situation to monitor. Because right now, it feels like they are two wolves inside the Pistons, both rooting for different things.
On the one hand, if Jenkins has another solid year like this one, he’ll definitely land a payday, but it won’t be anything crazy. Maybe something in the $10 to $12 million range.
That’s the financial wolf talking. The wolf that wants the Pistons to be set up nicely for a future in which they don’t have to deal with a ton of second-apron penalties. But Jenkins probably wouldn't be a good enough solution to the Pistons' offensive woes.
But what about the on-court wolf? The wolf that wants to compete for a championship? Well, that wolf wants Jenkins to make yet another leap. A leap that could put him in a perfect position to be a secondary scoring option alongside Cunningham.
If Jenkins evolves into that type of player, it would help the Pistons win more games, especially in the playoffs. But he’d also probably demand something closer to the $20 million range.
That’s a huge difference, especially with how many mouths Detroit has to feed.
Jenkins’ performance next season won’t just help determine the ceiling of the Pistons on the court: It will also affect their payroll for years to come.
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