As the first day of 2024 NBA free agency gets into full swing, we're following the Detroit Pistons and the rumor mill live.
The Pistons had the most cap space in the NBA as of Monday morning (about $51 million) but could be looking to acquire players with bloated contracts in exchange for salary relief and draft capital, as they did with Tim Hardaway Jr. from Dallas on Friday.
Paul George was the biggest domino to fall, agreeing to a four-year, $212 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers early Monday morning.
Hours earlier, the Free Press confirmed that the Pistons were in talks with Cade Cunningham on a five-year, $226 maximum rookie contract extension. The deal with the 2021 No. 1 overall pick can't be finalized until the end of the NBA free agency period at 12:01 p.m. Saturday.
Who is missing from the Pistons?
C Isaiah Hartstein to Oklahoma City Thunder
Free Press sportswriter Omari Sankofa II cited Hartenstein as one of two realistic free agents who could be game-changing for the Pistons (the other being Kentavious Caldwell-Pope). Hartenstein would be a big acquisition for the Thunder, and his reported three-year, $87 million contract ($29 million per year) is too expensive for a Pistons team with second-year big man Jalen Duren as their starting center.
G Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to Orlando Magic
He agreed to a three-year, $66 million contract (with a player option for the final year) to move from the Denver Nuggets to the Magic Kingdom.
F Derrick Jones Jr. traded to the Los Angeles Clippers
The main starter for the NBA finalists, the Dallas Mavericks, moved west to fill the gaping hole left by George, agreeing to a three-year, $30 million contract with the Clippers as they enter year one of their rebranding in their debut season at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
F Naji Marshall traded to the Dallas Mavericks
The former New Orleans Pelicans undrafted free agent agreed to a three-year, $27 million contract with the NBA champions to replace Jones.
G/F Kelly Oubre Jr. re-signs with the Philadelphia 76ers
The athletic, rim-pressuring wing is returning to the 76ers on a two-year, $16.3 million contract with a player option at end of the season.
PF/C Jalen Smith traded to the Chicago Bulls
The conference finalist Indiana Pacers' third big man agreed to a three-year, $27 million contract with the Bulls to replace free-agent backup Andre Drummond, who is returning to Philadelphia.
trend:3 predictions for what the Detroit Pistons will do in 2024 NBA free agency
Who's still left on the Pistons?
Rim protection and three-point shooting are areas of weakness for the Pistons, so here are a few viable free agents who make sense on various levels and are still on the market.
PF Tobias Harris, Philadelphia 76ers
Harris, who spent three seasons with Stan Van Gundy's Pistons from 2016-18, averaged 17 or more points per game seven times, including last season. He can score at all three levels and is a good one-on-one defender, but he's never been consistent without the ball, making him a strange fit. He's never been good enough to have the ball on a playoff team, and he hasn't done well enough as a role player (he played five and a half years with the Sixers but never took a charge) to receive a big contract, especially in the new restrictive CBA. He turns 32 on July 15, and after making $39 million last season on one of the league's most untradeable contracts, a big pay cut would be in order. Rumors remain that the Pistons are interested.
Shawn Windsor:JB Bickerstaff is the right coach for the Pistons today. We'll worry about the parade later.
SG Malik Beasley, Milwaukee Bucks
The 27-year-old Beasley is a career 38.5% 3-point shooter and a gunslinger the Pistons desperately need, having averaged 11.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 29.6 minutes per game last season while shooting 41.3% from the 3-point line.
SG Gary Harris, Orlando Magic
The 29-year-old Harris has excelled on both ends of the court since his collegiate career, which saw him play two seasons at Michigan State, but he has struggled in recent seasons with injuries and a decline in form. Last season, he started 27 of 54 games and appeared in all six playoff games, including the second round win over Cleveland, averaging 6.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from the 3-point range.
SG Buddy Hield, Philadelphia 76ers
It was a somewhat down season for the 31-year-old Hield, who averaged 12.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists on 38.6% 3-point shooting in 25.7 minutes per game in 84 games with Indiana and Philadelphia. A relentless gunner who opened up space for Cunningham, he shot 40% from the 3-point line in eight seasons, but his value was diminished by a poor playoff performance with the 76ers.
SG De'Anthony Melton, Philadelphia 76ers
A back injury (lumbar stress reaction) limited Melton to 38 games last season and led to multiple setbacks. The 26-year-old Melton is one of the league's most lethal perimeter defenders and rebounds well despite his 6'3″ and 200-pound frame, but plays at a much larger size thanks to his 6'8″ wingspan. He has shot an excellent 38.3% from three-point range over the past four seasons. He is averaging 11.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.6 steals in 26.9 minutes per game while shooting 36% from three-point range.
C Goga Bitadze, Orlando Magic
The 24-year-old Bitadze saw limited playing time last season on a Magic team with a deep center line, but is expected to assume a larger role as he is known as one of the league's best rim protectors. He averaged 5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 blocks in 15.4 minutes per game last season.
what else:Pistons explore 11 players available on the NBA trade market
F Kyle Anderson, Minnesota Timberwolves
Anderson, 6-foot-9 and 230 pounds, ticks many boxes for a power forward besides his 3-point shooting. “Slow-Mo” is a skilled defender and rebounder who reads the court like a point guard and would address some of the issues the young Pistons have. But barring another trade, adding another non-shooting threat doesn't make much sense. Anderson averaged 6.4 points, 4.2 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 22.6 minutes per game for a West semifinalist team that shot 46 percent from the field and 22.9 percent from the 3-point line.
Free Press sports reporter Omari Sankofa II contributed to this report.
Make “The Pistons Pulse” your Detroit Pistons podcast, available wherever you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) or on YouTube live/on demand.
