Nene and Five Big Men That Could Help the Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons have begun to truly rebuild.

Sadly, it took some terrible contracts, bad trades and three years to do it.

The Pistons have a lot of work to do, without a lot of time to do it. Apparently, new owner Tom Gores has given team president Joe Dumars three years to fix this mess.

Knowing Dumars, this is just the kind of kick in the pants he needs.

The Pistons need size, plain and simple. They really only have one true big man on the roster, and they will need to make a major upgrade at this spot.

Luckily, there are a few guys on the free agent board that could immediately help Detroit get back in contention.

Here are some guys that Detroit needs to be targeting.

Al Jefferson or Memo Okur, Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz are one of the few teams that actually has too much size.

As a result, they will no doubt need to clear out one or two of these guys to add other pieces that they need, namely depth at shooting guard.

Al Jefferson is the more expensive of the two, and would take a serious package to get. He is, however, much more talented and could immediately make the Pistons a playoff team.

Okur would be a nice consolation prize, but his health has been failing him lately. And how much does he have left given that he is already 32?

Besides, Utah would probably like to have a fellow Turk on the roster for rookie Enes Kanter to relate to.

Regardless, Jefferson has two years remaining on his deal which will pay him $29 million total. If the new CBA has a buyout provision, Jefferson likely would be the one that Utah would take.

But he does have plenty of value via trades. Would Utah take a package that included Ben Gordon, Austin Daye and a draft pick? If it is a high lottery protected pick, I would do this move in a heartbeat.

Chris Kaman, LA Clippers

I have been pounding the drum for Kaman for years now, so this may be nothing new to you.

However, it is becoming more and more likely that the Clips will deal their center in order to free up money to re-sign DeAndre Jordan.

The Clips were reportedly interested in dealing him to the Sixers for Andre Iguodala, but the deal fell through. Do the Pistons have enough to entice the Clippers?

A sign and trade deal involving Prince may be enough, especially if they throw in someone like Jason Maxiell or Kyle Singler.

Kaman, when healthy, is a legit double-double threat. He is a gritty post player that has plenty of good basketball left in him.

The key to this will be how much the Clips think they can get for him. But Kaman will likely be dealt before the season starts.

Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies

Gasol has quickly emerged as a legit low post player, and should be the prize of the free agent class. He is a restricted free agent, meaning that Memphis can match any offer.

However, they already have a ton of cash tied up to their core of players, and a super high offer might be too much for them to match.

If Detroit can clear some space and offer Gasol a $10 million per season deal, Memphis will have to concede their talented big man.

Gasol, plugged in next to Monroe, would give Detroit the second best front court in the division. And depending on how they solve the small forward position, they would immediately become a playoff team.

Nene, Denver Nuggets

Nene Hilario (or just Nene if you're nasty) is an athletic freak that should command top dollar now that he opted out of his contract.

Denver will no doubt try to re-sign him, but they will have some serious competition. Detroit needs to add their names to that list of suitors.

Nene is a good shot-blocker, rebounder and underrated scorer near the hoop. He is capable of lapses of focus, but would be a perfect pairing with Monroe, allowing the young big man to concentrate more on offense out of the high post, and using his passing ability like a young Chris Webber.

So how much would it take to get him? Given that salaries are going to be lower next year, Nene is probably a $10 million per year guy just like Gasol.

If I were Detroit, I would view my top two options as Gasol 1 and Nene 1a. Both, however, will take a pretty penny to get.

David West, New Orleans Hornets

David West has developed into a very good post player in the NBA. Sadly for New Orleans, they can no longer afford him.

Now that he has opted out of his contract, he is one of the elite available big men. Similar in size and skill to Carlos Boozer, West is a legit double-double threat.

However, he is not an ideal fit for Detroit. He doesn't play great defense, he can't block shots and he would guarantee that Monroe moves over to center.

That being said, he is a huge upgrade for Detroit offensively, and would pair well with the young core of Knight and Monroe on that side of the court.

If Detroit strikes out on the other guys, West would be a great consolation prize.