Santi Aldama is not a household name, but he’s one of the most interesting free agent possibilities for the Detroit Pistons this summer.
Detroit will not likely cash in for a star name but instead will look for undervalued talent that could add quality depth.
The Eastern Conference is so wide open that the Pistons don’t need to make sweeping change, but they do have the cap space to make one impact addition.
We’ve talked about guys like Naz Reid (who I love) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who will both be unrestricted free agents this summer.
Aldama is flying under the radar as a restricted free agent, one that Memphis will likely try to retain.
But the Pistons have more cap flexibility and may be able to offer Aldama a deal the Grizzlies won’t match, which would be a risky bet on potential, but one that could pay huge dividends for the Pistons in the long term.
Santi Aldama could be a long-term solution for the Pistons and a weapon for Cade Cunningham
The Pistons have two young guards, wings and bigs, so their only glaring long-term need is at the four.
Aldama is just 24, so fits the timeline perfectly and is a guy who has improved every year he’s been in the league, culminating in this season when he averaged 12.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 37 percent from long range on five attempts in just over 25 minutes per game.
The Pistons could desperately use a forward with size who can shoot. Unfortunately, so can everyone else, including Memphis, who will likely match any offer for Aldama up to a point.
The question is what that number is and how far beyond it the Pistons would have to go to get Memphis to back off. They’d have to bet big on potential, but given his improvement, that might not be a bad bet to make.
Aldama would be the perfect complement to Cade Cunningham, as he spaces the floor, opening up the middle of the court for more action with the bigs, neither of whom are shooters.
With Jalen Duren not projected to be a shooter anytime soon, having a floor-spacing four would help both him and Cunningham find more room in the paint, particularly in the post-Tobias Harris era.
Aldama would also potentially offset the lack of shooting from Holland off the bench, making it easier to keep him on the floor for longer stretches.
He ticks a lot of boxes for the Pistons, but stealing a restricted free agent is never cheap, especially when their team wants to retain them.
The Pistons will have to decide if a player like Aldama is worth the risk associated with that price tag.