The Detroit Pistons have made calculated and measured moves this offseason so far, adding veteran talent without sacrificing any long-term assets or financial flexibility.
The team isn’t ready to compete for a title, but does need to create a winning environment for its young players, so hopefully the Pistons will improve next season and we’ll see leaps in development as well as in the win column.
Trajan Langdon set a timeline for this team with the free-agent contracts that he gave out, none of which extend beyond two years, a reasonable assessment of where they are and how long it will take to get where they want to be.
He has positioned the Pistons to eventually make a move for a star, as he added draft assets, retained young talent and set Detroit up with tradable contracts that could eventually be used in a big deal.
But choosing the right star is paramount.
The second apron has changed the financial landscape for the Detroit Pistons and the NBA
The star of this offseason has been the second tax apron, which delivers real damage to teams that cross it.
It has stopped certain trades from happening this summer and has also made teams stay clear of a type of contract and player, namely the “good, not great” star.
Teams can still have three max contracts if they want to, but it makes it much more difficult to fill out a competitive roster, which means teams are going to try to avoid overpaying fringe superstars and giving lucrative third contracts to players who aren’t good enough to be the alpha dog of a title team.
Crossing that second apron doesn’t just mean losing money, it means losing trade exceptions, the ability to aggregate contracts in a trade and limits the types of trades teams can do.
The Pistons are nowhere near the second apron, but as they build, they need to remain financially prudent and not give max deals to the wrong guys.
Here are four players they should avoid. This is not a knock on the players themselves, but their financial hit balanced against what they bring on the floor.