Reported Detroit Pistons free agent targets all have red flags

The only thing the Detroit Pistons have to look forward to is the future.

When your present reality is a 27-game losing streak (and that's before tonight's matchup with the Celtics), hope that things can and will get better is all that you have.

Fans are crying out for some kind of change, whether it is a front office shake-up or some new faces on the roster.

There is not one move that can save the Pistons, but they have to try something via trades or finally throwing some money around in free agency instead of giving their cap space to other teams in exchange for second-round picks.

Yesterday, insider Shams Charania dropped some possibilities for the Pistons in free agency:

While any of these guys would certainly be an upgrade, they all come with red flags, some more severe than others.

Miles Bridges- The walking red flag

Let's start with the easy one. I am not the moral judge of another human and do believe in second chances, but Bridges has had his second chance and he did it again.

Aside from how you might feel about his skill on the floor, this is a team that has done nothing but preach about "high character" players for the last four years. We've been told endlessly that the person matters as much as the player, so for them to turn around and sign Miles Bridges would be the height of hypocrisy.

Even if you don't care about Bridges tainted past (which many of you don't based on the comments I am getting), he only fits a small portion of what the Pistons actually need. He's not a great 3-point shooter (below league average) or a defender, the two attributes the Pistons need the most.

Do the Pistons really need to add another 31 percent 3-point shooter to the worst 3-point shooting team in the NBA? And do so while giving up whatever minuscule shred of credibility the organization has left?

That's a hard pass from me. The last thing this team needs is the negativity that would come with signing Bridges, especially when he is not the player they need anyway.

Pascal Siakam- Decline and salary

The idea of Siakam in a lineup with Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren is certainly intriguing. Siakam would move the needle for the Pistons, and in the position they are in, they can't be too picky.

But Siakam appears to be a player in decline. His shooting numbers have dipped in some areas, improved in others, but what's troubling is that he is shooting just 24 percent from long range.

He would fill a need as a secondary scoring option and a guy who can make plays, but he and Cade Cunningham spend a lot of time in the same areas of the court.

Siakam will be 30 years old in April, and while hardly washed, the Pistons would potentially be giving a max deal to a guy who is on the wrong side of 30 and already showing signs of decline. What is that contract going to look like in two years? How about four?

I get it, Detroit can't make personnel decisions right now based on four years in the future, but it's something to consider. Paying non-max players max dollars is how you never escape mediocrity. Of course, mediocrity would be a significant upgrade at this point.

I am not 100 percent against Siakam and do think the Pistons would be lucky to even get him to come to Detroit, but there are some worrying factors. Detroit can't let perfect be the enemy of good in this case, and will have zero leverage with free agents, but if they could build themselves an out-clause into the contract, it would be a lot less troublesome.

Tobias Harris- Age and desire to play in Detroit

Harris is having another solid season as a role player on a very good team in Philly.

In many ways, he's exactly what Detroit needs. He's as reliable and consistent as they come in the NBA, a guaranteed 15-18 points per night on strong shooting splits.

He rarely misses games, is a pro's pro and he is familiar with the culture in Detroit.

Maybe too familiar.

While Harris checks a lot of boxes on paper, why in the world would he want to come to Detroit? The man has already made a boatload of money in the NBA and will be 32 years old this summer.

Why would he want to spend the last few seasons of his prime on the worst team in the league when he could be chasing rings? It's one thing to be a third or fourth option on a team with Joel Embiid, and a whole other to join a rebuild where you are suddently the #2 guy.

The Pistons should have never traded Harris the first time around and it's hard to imagine him giving them a second chance to make it right.

The Pistons would likely have to wildly overpay Harris to even get him to consider a reunion, and overpaying guys who don't really want to be on your team is not a strategy that has worked out for Detroit of late, just ask Monty Williams.

OG Anunoby- Going to get overpaid as a non All-Star

Of these four candidates, Anunoby has the best combination of defense, shooting and age. The Pistons need younger veterans just entering their prime, and Anunoby fits the bill at 26 years old.

But Anunoby has some red flags of his own, namely that he might be slightly overrated. His name has been in the rumor mill for two seasons, which generally isn't the case with impact players in the prime of their careers.

While Anunoby is an impact player, especially on defense, the Pistons would have to offer him a max deal just to get him to come to Detroit. I am not against that, as the Pistons are going to have to overpay to get a free agent to come to this mess.

But what else would they have to promise Anunoby? A much larger role? More time with the ball in his hands?

Anunoby is not an All-Star, nor a guy who is going to get you 20 points a game consistently, at least not efficiently. He's a decent 3-point shooter and a very good defender, but he's going to get paid like a superstar.

Again, if that's what it takes, the Pistons don't have much choice, but it's something to consider with Anunoby, who may have another level and may not. Would the Pistons be paying max money to a role player who is marginally better than Saddiq Bey? Isn't that what they were trying to avoid when they traded Bey?

Anunoby is better, especially defensively, but he's also going to be making way more money.

The Pistons aren't in a position to be picky, as no one wants to play in Detroit right now, but they also can't compound their problems by making the wrong move.