Wild Donovan Mitchell contract is a loud warning the Pistons can't ignore

The Cleveland Cavaliers fully committed to their star guard by inking Donovan Mitchell to a lucrative extension worth $273 million over four seasons. 

These are the exact kinds of contacts we’ve seen teams try and escape recently, as the Celtics just traded Jaylen Brown for pennies on the dollar, a guy who was the Finals MVP just two seasons ago.  

The mega max contracts that eat up 35 percent or more of a team’s cap are increasingly difficult to build around, a problem the Cavaliers will soon face. They may have to sacrifice some of their quality depth to keep the fat cats at the top of the payroll, but it’s something every team with a superstar faces. 

That includes the Detroit Pistons, who currently only have one player on a max deal, superstar Cade Cunningham, but that could soon change depending on what happens with Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson. 

The Pistons can’t wait forever  

On one hand, it’s a good thing that the Pistons only have one player on a max deal, as they have financial flexibility that the Cavaliers won’t enjoy for the foreseeable future. 

On the other, they may need another max guy to get over the hump, and that person may not currently be on the roster. 

The Pistons have to balance trying to get Cunningham a second star with the daunting prospect of Cade’s next contract. It Isn't coming immediately, but when it does, the Pistons will face all the same challenges the Cavaliers are about to face, as Cade’s next deal will be even bigger than the one Mitchell just got.

It’s why we’ve seen teams like OKC and San Antonio try to speed up the timelines around their superstars now, as it only gets more difficult to build around them as the complementary players also get more expensive. 

That doesn’t mean the Pistons should make a desperate reach on a trade, but they can’t wait forever, as it only gets more difficult as your stars age. 

Pistons have to be careful and keep the cheap talent coming 

Trajan Langdon has proven he can kill it on the fringes, as he’s found a lot of very good role players who represent value for money, including Daniss Jenkins and Javonte Green. 

He has to keep the cheap talent flowing, which is one of the reasons the Pistons are reluctant to give up too many future draft picks for a non-star like Trey Murphy III. Continuing to add cheap talent in the draft is how you withstand the eventual cap casualties, just ask the Thunder, who were able to trade away very good role players with cheaper, younger replacements waiting in the wings. 

The Pistons also have to be careful about giving out max deals. You can have one super max and a bunch of mid-level stuff, but once you commit to a second max deal, you are pretty much all-in. 

The Pistons are smart to play hardball with Duren, as every penny counts under one of the dumbest CBAs we’ve had yet, one that unleashed super max contracts at the same time as much more punitive cap aprons. Dumb. 

It’s a problem all good teams will eventually face, so the Pistons can’t wait too long to make their move, as their young and flexible talent won’t be cost effective forever. 

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