There aren’t a lot of good things to say when it comes to the Detroit Pistons. They’ve been at the bottom of the barrel of the Eastern Conference, trying but constantly failing to build a team strong enough to make any meaningful and sustained playoff pushes.
One of their biggest problems is locating and maintaining talent on the roster. Malachi Flynn, one of the bright spots for the Pistons last season, was allowed to walk away in this year’s free agency.
The Pistons cannot expect free agency to be a cakewalk as no player worth their salt would willingly play in Motor City. The franchise hasn’t shown any sense of direction over the past couple of years, and it doesn’t seem like things will change any time soon.
However, the team is determined to at least do one thing right this offseason: offer their star man the best contract possible to keep him in the team for the foreseeable future.
Detroit Pistons tie Cade Cunningham to a five-year, $226 million deal to lead the team
Shams Charania, one of the leading NBA insiders, released an update that gave Pistons fans something to celebrate:
The Detroit Pistons plan to sign Cade Cunningham to a five-year, $226 million maximum rookie extension, sources tell me and @JLEdwardsIII. pic.twitter.com/Zu828t1jNe
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2024
Cunningham is still only 22 years old, so it made sense for him to sign a massive extension that will get him boatloads of money into his bank account. Should the Pistons still fail to build him a solid enough team for an NBA Finals push, he can leave the team at an age where he’s just hitting his athletic prime.
It was also a must for the Pistons to keep Oklahoma State alum on the payroll. He averaged 22.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 7.5 assists on 44.9%/35.5%/86.9% shooting splits. The ball is now on Troy Weaver’s court to surround their franchise centerpiece with good players who will let his play shine.
Otherwise, they’ll be back to square one by 2029.
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