Poised to continue building on a 2015/16 season that saw them record 44 wins and land their first playoff berth in seven years, the Pistons instead regressed, falling out of the postseason picture with a 37-45 record. Reggie Jackson was plagued by injuries and was ineffective for much of the season, while Andre Drummond‘s free throw woes continued to make him a liability in late-game situations. Now, the Pistons are virtually capped-out and will have to figure out how to improve a roster that could use reinforcements in several different areas.
Here’s where things currently stand for the Pistons financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2017:
Guaranteed Salary
- Andre Drummond ($23,775,506)
- Tobias Harris ($16,000,000)
- Reggie Jackson ($16,000,000)
- Jon Leuer ($10,497,319)
- Boban Marjanovic ($7,000,000)
- Ish Smith ($6,000,000)
- Josh Smith ($5,331,729) — Waived via stretch provision.
- Marcus Morris ($5,000,000)
- Stanley Johnson ($3,097,800)
- Henry Ellenson ($1,780,800)
- Michael Gbinije ($500,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below.1
- Total: $94,983,154
Player Options
- Aron Baynes ($6,500,000)
- Total: $6,500,000
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Darrun Hilliard ($1,471,382)2
- Michael Gbinije ($812,611) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.1
- Total: $2,283,993
Restricted Free Agents
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($4,958,374 qualifying offer / $9,195,798 cap hold)
- Reggie Bullock ($3,313,542 qualifying offer / $5,639,110 cap hold)
- Total: $14,834,908
Cap Holds
- Aron Baynes ($8,450,000) — If player option is declined
- No. 12 overall pick ($2,759,280)
- Beno Udrih ($1,471,382)
- Total: $12,680,662
Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000
Maximum Cap Room: $1,626,336
- Taking into account their nine guaranteed salaries and cap charges for a first-round pick and two empty roster spots, the Pistons have a team salary of $99,373,664. That would involve renouncing Caldwell-Pope, Baynes, and Bullock, and still doesn’t create any real cap room, making it an unlikely scenario. So unless they make a cost-cutting trade or two, the Pistons will be an over-the-cap team this offseason.
Footnotes:
- Gbinije’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 15.
- Hilliard’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 1.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and The Vertical was used in the creation of this post.