The first rush of NBA free agency is over and the Detroit Pistons have a much different looking team already.
They added Tim Hardaway Jr. in a trade, then signed both Tobias Harris and Malik Beasley to short-term deals. They brought back Simone Fontecchio on a team-friendly contract, so shooting and future financial flexibility were the themes of the offseason so far for the Pistons.
Trajan Langdon took a smart, measured approach that made Detroit better next season but didn’t sacrifice any of the young talent or future financial flexibility to do it.
Essentially, he made the kind of moves that Troy Weaver should have been making the last three seasons.
But Detroit is not finished yet, as they still have the cap space for another impact addition, to take on another contract for assets or to lay in the cut waiting for the time to pounce.
How much cap space do the Detroit Pistons have?
The Pistons currently have $21.7 million in cap space remaining, one of two teams left in the NBA to have any space at all, according to cap guru Keith Smith:
Only the Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz have projected cap space remaining:
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) July 8, 2024
UTA: $37.7M
DET: $21.7M
The Charlotte Hornets have space left, but will go over when they re-sign M. Bridges.
The San Antonio Spurs have space left, but will go over when they acquire H. Barnes.
Detroit can bump that up to around $27 million if they dismiss Fontecchio’s cap hold and use the Room Exception instead.
The question is what the Pistons will do with it, as they already have a full rotation of players.
My guess is that Langdon will be patient and wait for a deal to emerge in which the Pistons can take on a short-term contract for assets. There will be movement at the trade deadline and the Pistons will be well-positioned to take advantage of someone.
If Langdon can add another first-round pick at some point, the Pistons will be in good shape in terms of assets and players and can make their move for a star the following offseason.
The Pistons have added three veteran shooters and brought back a guy in Fontecchio who hit over 43 percent from long range last season for the Pistons.
They will have ample ways to surround Cade Cunningham with shooters and should improve defensively as well.
Detroit still has a long way to go, but they are in better shape than they were and are set up to make bold moves in the future.