Cade Cunningham has one more season left on his current contract with the Detroit Pistons.
He is eligible to sign a max extension this summer and almost certainly will. I've had a lot of fans claim that "Cade won't sign!" or "Cade is going to demand out!" Want to bet?
No star player has ever declined to sign a max rookie extension, as it would be foolish. It would be leaving a lot of money on the table and players know they can just demand a trade later anyway, so why would they give up the extra money?
Cunningham will sign his extension this summer, but he has to be looking at the landscape of his team and the NBA as a whole and wondering if he should be planning his exit strategy.
The Detroit Pistons' roster around Cade Cunningham
The Pistons have won just 52 games total in Cunningham's three seasons. I am sure he knew there would be an adjustment period, but I doubt he thought his team would be this bad four years into their rebuild.
In the last game, in which Cade Cunningham scored 32 points, the Pistons started Jalen Duren, Marcus Sasser, Tosan Evbuomwan and Chimezie Metu alongside him. I doubt any star player (including Cunningham) has played with a worse supporting cast over the last four years.
If I'm Cade, I'm looking at this roster and wondering when my GM is going to start filling it with NBA players who can help me win. If I'm Cade, I'm wondering why my team's big offseason addition was Joe Harris. If I'm Cade, I'm wondering how I am supposed to win with this team regardless of how well I play. If I'm Cade, I'm wondering if help is ever coming.
And I'm asking myself how long I can put up with complete front-office incompetence given where the other young teams in the league are headed.
Cade Cunningham looking at the NBA
All of the teams that were bad when Cade Cunningham entered the league are now good or at least competitive.
The Timberwolves and Thunder are near the top of the Western Conference. The Pacers, Magic and Cavaliers are in the thick of the playoff hunt in the East.
The Houston Rockets have won 10 straight (two fewer games than the Pistons have won all season) and are trying to claw their way into the play-in behind stellar play from their young guys to go along with the vets Houston brought in to complement them.
Watching the Rockets play meaningful games with Jalen Green going off can't be fun for Cunningham, whose team hasn't played a meaningful game in his career unless you count the battle for the worst record in the league.
This can't be fun for Cade, who has had to watch his peers and their teams make the progress that his hasn't. No no expected the Pistons to be where the Thunder are this season, but we did expect them to make a leap like the Rockets, which would have been enough for fans, and enough for Cunningham to feel some joy playing basketball, which he clearly isn't.
Instead, he is in and out of the worst rotation in the NBA and on a team that has gotten worse while other young rebuilds have gone in the other direction.
If you look at the context of the NBA, is there any team you'd want to be on less than the Detroit Pistons other than maybe the Wizards and Hornets?
And will it push Cade Cunningham into action?
Will Cade Cunningham make demands or call out the front office?
To his credit, Cunningham continues to play hard and say all of the right things. He's taken much of the blame for this season himself and doesn't throw his teammates or coach under the bus, even though some of them should be driving one instead of on an NBA roster.
But before he signs what will be a five-year extension, will he make some demands? Will he put pressure on his owner to make changes in the front office? To the coaching staff? Will he leverage his position as the franchise player to force the team to give him some help?
The Pistons have the cap space, young players and high draft pick to make a big move this summer and I hope Cade Cunningham demands that they do, as another offseason like the last one will result in him wasting another year of his career.
So even though I am nearly certain Cunningham will sign an extension, I do have to wonder what he is thinking and whether he sees Detroit as his long-term home.