NBA free agency has been a snooze for the Detroit Pistons the last few seasons, but Trajan Langdon changed that by signing multiple players in this one.
Overall, the NBA offseason has not been the dramatic soap opera many predicted, which may be the effect of new rules around the second apron, which are far more prohibitive than the old days, when spending more just cost teams more money.
The Pistons held cap space which helped them move up in the draft and trade for Tim Hardaway Jr, but what about free agency? Did they do enough to be considered a winner? Or do the additions of middle-of-the-road veterans mean another losing free agency for Detroit?
Let’s look at the winners and losers in free agency, including one team that has been deemed the big winner that I am putting with the losers.
Winner: Oklahoma City Thunder
If you could choose any roster and cap situation in the league it would have to be OKC, who are young, talented, deep and still have more draft assets than anyone in the NBA by far.
They added Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein, two perfect role players for them, to a team that led the Western Conference in wins last season. Oh, and they drafted a guy who could be the best point guard in the 2024 Draft, who they get to stash for a couple of years.
Did I mention they have five first-round picks in 2025? The only problem they had was a point guard who couldn’t shoot in Josh Giddey, who has been replaced by an All-Defensive player who shoots 41 percent from long range.
The Thunder haven’t won anything yet, but no team in the NBA is more set up to win now and deep into the future than them.
Losers: Miami and Milwaukee
You could argue that every team in the top eight of the Eastern Conference last year improved except for these two.
At least the Heat drafted a player in Kel’el Ware who can probably help them right away. The Bucks didn’t even do that, as they grabbed a G-League project who probably won’t sniff the NBA for at least a few seasons, if ever.
It’s hard to see how these two teams, who are aging rapidly, are going to keep up with Boston, New York, Philly, Cleveland, Orlando and even Indiana unless they have some late moves up their sleeves.
Winner: San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs got their point guard of the future in Stephon Castle and a veteran mentor in Chris Paul, both of whom are going to help Victor Wembanyama right away.
Not everyone was happy with the Spurs trading the 8th pick for future draft assets from Minnesota, but it gave them further ammunition to add stars over the next few seasons.
They were also the sneaky winner of the DeMar DeRozan trade, as they got a good 3-and-D wing in Harrison Barnes plus banked a 2031 pick swap from the Kings, which could look very good just as Wembanyama is probably winning his 5th MVP.
The Spurs are being smart and patient with Wembanyama, giving him the tools to develop without selling out the future.
Loser: Chicago Bulls
If there is any team that makes me feel better about the Troy Weaver era, it’s the Chicago Bulls, who have to be the worst managed team in the NBA.
They decided to “go for it” last season in an asinine attempt to line Jerry Reinsdorf’s pockets with playoff money, then won 39 games and got throttled in the play-in.
They had huge trade assets in DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso, who they gave up for one year of Josh Giddey, Chris Duarte and two second-round picks. How they weren't able to squeeze one lousy pick out of OKC, who has a million of them, is beyond me.
After being offered three picks for Andre Drummond at the deadline (all second rounders), the Bulls let him walk for nothing.
They then gave Patrick Williams, who can’t stay healthy and hasn’t gotten any better in four years, a massive $90 million contract, bidding against themselves, as no other team was offering that. His contract makes Isaiah Stewart's look great.
They still have Zach LaVine, who they waited too long to trade, and now will have to attach assets to, just get rid of.
They only made one other move in free agency, signing Jalen Smith, which was a nice value contract for Chicago.
But overall, it’s been a disaster. The Bulls are now rebuilding anyway, but without all of the draft assets they could have had for DeRozan, Caruso and Drummond.
Pistons fans: Be careful what you wish for when it comes to Tom Gores. The Pistons haven’t won anything under him, but at least he tries and at least he spends money. There are worse options out there and Jerry Reinsdorf is one of them.
Winner: Detroit Pistons
*Update: The Pistons have signed c/f Paul Reed off free-agent waivers. For more on that deal, check the PistonPowered homepage.
HOMER ALERT!
Are the Pistons good now? No.
Are the Pistons going to make the playoffs next season? Also, probably no.
HOWEVER,
Trajan Langdon went into the offseason (for which he didn’t have much time to prep) with a plan and has executed it.
The Pistons added two veterans in free agency in Tobias Harris and Malik Beasley who will help the young players develop and foster a more competitive environment.
They re-signed Simon Fontecchio on a sweetheart deal that looks extremely team friendly.
They kept all of the contracts short so that they line up with possible extensions for Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren.
These additions should force their young guys into better roles for their development but still give them plenty of room for minutes.
They may not have grabbed headlines, but Detroit made smart moves that will improve the team, help the growth of their young core and didn’t at all affect their financial flexibility.
They still have over $21 million in cap space to play with so are set up to take on a contract for assets or keep some powder dry for a big trade deadline move.
They have the perfect contracts to eventually trade for a star, got rid of all of the dead weight from last season and are set up to be good within a year or two.
I’ve loved this offseason for the Detroit Pistons, who finally have some direction and a plan.
Loser: Philadelphia 76ers
Most people disagree with me on this one and would rank Philly as one of the big winners after they signed Paul George in free agency.
Let me ask you, which player would you rather have:?
Player A: 24ppg, 5.3 apg, 4.3 rpg on 48% FG and 33% from 3-point range
Player B: 22 ppg, 3.4 apg, 5.2 rpg on 47% FG and 41% from 3-point range
Player A has played 358 combined games in the last five seasons.
Player B has played 263 combined games in the last five seasons.
You can probably make an argument for either one but Player A is 34-year-old DeMar DeRozan, who just signed a 3 year/$74 million deal and Player B is 34-year-old Paul George, who just signed a 4 year/$212 million max contract.
You can argue fit and who is better, but it’s wild to me how much the perception of these two players differs, as George was considered the big fish of the offseason even though he always gets hurt and cost three times more than DeRozan, who is a durable scoring machine.
I’ll eat one of my socks if both Joel Embiid and Paul George are both healthy come playoff time. Yes, a three-headed monster of Embiid, George and Maxey is theoretically the best in the East, but only if they are all on the floor.
You trust Paul George, who just played 74 games (most since 2018) in a contract year to stay healthy? I don’t.
Philly might have been better off spreading that money around, as they have no depth and currently will have to slot role players Kelly Oubre Jr and Caleb Martin into the starting five with virtually no bench behind them.
I could be completely wrong, as Philly had the biggest boom or bust offseason in the NBA, but they are one injury away from potentially being out of the playoff picture next season. They may have to sacrifice their regular season just to keep these guys healthy.
You can bookmark this to call me an idiot if they win the title next season, but I don’t see it.