Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2017 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2017/18 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Detroit Pistons.
Signings:
Camp invitees:
Trades:
Draft picks:
Departing players:
Other offseason news:
Salary cap situation:
- Operating over the cap and under the tax. Carrying approximately $115MM in guaranteed salaries. Hard-capped. Only minimum salary exception available.
Check out the Detroit Pistons’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.
Story of the summer:
Head coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy, along with GM Jeff Bower, had a tough dilemma following a very disappointing 2016/17 campaign: Should they give shooting guard and restricted free agent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope a long-term contract?
Entering the offseason, the general consensus was that the Pistons would either lock up Caldwell-Pope or they would match an offer sheet, as long as the monetary burden wasn’t overwhelming. Caldwell-Pope was the team’s best perimeter defender, matching up with the opponent’s top offensive guard, regardless of whether that player was a point guard or shooting guard. He could also shadow some threes in smaller lineups.
A few factors swayed Van Gundy and Bower in another direction. First, Caldwell-Pope’s spotty offensive production was an issue. In 31 of the 76 games he played last season, Caldwell-Pope scored 10 or fewer points.
Second, the Pistons were already saddled with burdensome contracts for starters Reggie Jackson, Andre Drummond, Tobias Harris and backup Jon Leuer. Giving Caldwell-Pope $20MM or more annually would push a team that didn’t even make the playoffs last season into luxury tax territory. Third, they found a better solution, at least in the short term.
The Celtics needed to unload some salary in order to sign Gordon Hayward and the Pistons swooped in and traded for versatile Avery Bradley to replace Caldwell-Pope. Bradley becomes a free agent after this season, though Detroit’s brass has already indicated its desire to re-sign Bradley.
The Pistons renounced their rights to Caldwell-Pope once they agreed to the deal. As it turned out, Caldwell-Pope had a harder time finding long-term security than expected. He signed a one-year, $18MM contract with the Lakers and will return to the free agent market next summer.
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Key offseason losses:
Marcus Morris was forwarded to the Celtics in the Bradley deal. Morris isn’t a player favored by analytics and advanced stats. He had a 12.47 Player Efficiency Rating, below the 15.0 league average. But he played both forward spots and answered the bell more than any other Pistons player the last two seasons, starting in 79 games last season and 80 the previous year. Van Gundy could count on Morris for consistency and toughness, and now it will be up to Stanley Johnson – who had a poor sophomore season – to fill that void.
Backup center Aron Baynes opted out of his contract and eventually signed with the Celtics. Van Gundy often stated last season that Baynes was good enough to start for most teams. However, Baynes actually wound up accepting less money to play for a serious contender.
Key offseason additions:
Bradley is an outstanding two-way player coming off a career year. The 6’2” guard averaged a career-high 16.3 PPG and also made a significant impact on the boards (6.1 RPG). He’s a tenacious defender and above-average three-point shooter (39.0% last season). The latter skill will greatly aid an offense heavily reliant on pick-and-rolls to make defenses pay for collapsing on Drummond.
Langston Galloway was a surprising addition from the free agent market, but Van Gundy liked his versatility. He can play either guard spot and gives the Pistons some insurance in case Jackson’s knee issues remain a lingering problem. He’s also an above-average long-distance shooter.
Speaking of shooting, the Pistons used their late-lottery pick on former Duke two guard Luke Kennard, who may have been the best pure shooter in the draft. He’ll battle Galloway for playing time behind Bradley.
Anthony Tolliver returns for a second stint with the club and gives the Pistons a veteran locker-room presence and another stretch four at Van Gundy’s disposal.
Outlook for 2017/18:
The Pistons are moving into a new downtown arena and they hope that will bring some new energy to a franchise that sorely needs every boost it can get.
Detroit seemingly has the talent to make the postseason for the second time in three seasons but that hinges on bounce-back seasons from Jackson and Drummond. Jackson struggled physically last season after missing 21 games due to knee tendinitis and his lack of explosiveness diffused the entire attack. Drummond’s production suffered and he often looked disinterested and frustrated as the losses piled up.
Bradley should boost the starting unit, but Johnson’s development is a key factor. He’s got to become more of an offensive threat and show more overall focus. Leuer also needs to recover from a poor second half and regain his long-range stroke.
Boban Marjanovic will have an expanded role as Drummond’s backup and it will be interesting to see if the lumbering big man’s offensive power can outweigh his lack of defensive mobility.
Van Gundy’s seat could get very hot if the Pistons don’t show vast improvement this season.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Luke Adams contributed to this post.
