Detroit Pistons Off-Season Outlook
By Ryan Mayer
The Detroit Pistons have been revitalized under head coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy. Following a mediocre campaign last year, the team took the next step and locked up the eighth spot in the playoffs this season, making their first appearance in the postseason in seven years. Using SVG's patented four-out, one-in style, the team will continue to build around young center Andre Drummond, point guard Reggie Jackson and newly acquired wing/stretch four Tobias Harris.
After being swept from the playoffs by the Cavaliers, Detroit will now look to free agency and the draft to continue to improve their position in the East. How best to do so? Let's take a look at where they stand in relation to the cap for next year first. All cap numbers and contracts are courtesy of Hoops Hype unless otherwise noted.
Players Under Contract
Tobias Harris- $17.2 million
Reggie Jackson- $15 million
Josh Smith (buy-out)- $14 million
Jodie Meeks- $6.5 million
Aron Baynes- $6.5 million
Marcus Morris- $4.6 million
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - $3.7 million
Stanley Johnson- $2.9 million
Joel Anthony- $2.5 million (team option)
Reggie Bullock- $2.3 million
Spencer Dinwiddie- $980,431
Restricted Free Agents
Andre Drummond- $4.4 million (qualifying)
Total Cap Number= $80.58 million
First things first, that cap number is deceiving. That assumes that Andre Drummond would play out the year on the qualifying offer which would be dumb for both sides. The Pistons are looking to build around Drummond (rightfully so) and will want to extend him this offseason. In all likelihood that means a max contract. So let's say Drummond and the Pistons agree to a five year max deal which based on the salary cap projections for next year would work out to around $105.5 million (21.1 per year). That adds another 16 and change to the number which would put the Pistons over the cap at $97.28 million but still comfortably under the tax threshold projected for next year of $111 million.
The team is also likely to not bring back Joel Anthony on his team option, who suited up in just 19 games for the team this season. So take that $2.5 million off and that leaves the Pistons at around $94.78 million for the upcoming season. That means you're looking at using the mid-level exception to bring in any free agents you were to go after. So, following those moves, the roster would look like this.
Point guards (2), Shooting guards (2), Small Forwards (2), Power Forwards (1), Centers (2)
With cap projections the mid-level exception is looking like around $5.6 million for non-tax paying teams which the Pistons would be.
Free Agents to Target
Anthony Tolliver PF- With most of the rotation already set and not really any cap space to speak of, Tolliver is a solid option for the Pistons to try and retain. He's spent the last year and a half with the team and knows Van Gundy's system. He was a fairly key cog in the rotation as well for SVG averaging close to 19 minutes per game. Considering his last deal pegged him right around the $3 million mark, that would leave the Pistons some money left over to use of the exception on another rotation piece.
Brandon Rush SG- Rush has spent the past two years with the Warriors as a rotation cog for them and would bring championship level experience to a young Pistons team. Golden State would probably like to keep him, but they have plenty of their own big decisions to make this offseason in terms of the salary cap so there will be some casualties. Rush could be one and adding him to this Pistons squad brings defense, perimeter shooting (41.4% 3PT) and veteran leadership.
All in all, the Pistons main focus this summer should be locking up Andre Drummond for the foreseeable future. The young nucleus is good, especially considering the fight they gave the Cavs despite the sweep. Keeping that core together and just adding a couple of pieces with the final year of Josh Smith's deal coming off the books after 2016-17, and this could be a young team on the rise in the next few years.