Ideal Potential Free Agent for Detroit Pistons at Every Position
The Detroit Pistons have major roster holes, and they will have the cap space to address those gaps in free agency this summer.
Their roster does have several young building blocks. Point guard Reggie Jackson, shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and center Andre Drummond—all 25 or younger—are expected to be back in the starting lineup for 2015-16. Spencer Dinwiddie, 22, will likely play a bigger role backing up Jackson. And Jodie Meeks, 27, is entrenched as sixth man and Caldwell-Pope's backup.
The guard positions are deep, and the starting center spot is locked down, but both starting forward spots may need to be filled. Small forwards Tayshaun Prince and Caron Butler, both 35, can become free agents and are well past their primes. Greg Monroe is talented and will be only 25 as of June, but most indications are that the Pistons will lose him.
Coach and team president Stan Van Gundy will want to begin winning as soon as possible—the Pistons haven't been to the playoffs since 2009—but the roster is far from ready to compete for a championship. Any players they add need to be young enough that they will still be in their primes when the Pistons are ready to make a deep postseason run.
Van Gundy has prioritized three-point shooting and defending in his previous roster moves, and he'll likely continue to target players skilled in at least one of those areas. And adding free agents with playoff experience to a team devoid of any would be welcome.
They have more than $20 million to spend in free agency, and there are guys at every position who can improve the team.
Point Guard: Shane Larkin
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Van Gundy lists Jackson and Dinwiddie as two-fifths of his "young nucleus." Brandon Jennings started 41 games at point guard in 2014-15 and still has one season left on his contract, though he is recovering from a torn Achilles. If there's one position where the Pistons may be set, it is at the 1.
But the Pistons could trade Jennings to unclog the depth chart, and then they'd be in the market for a third lead guard off the bench. That guy would only play sporadically, and Van Gundy could take a flier on a young player with potential to develop.
New York Knicks' free-agent-to-be Shane Larkin fits the bill. He was a first-round pick just two seasons ago, but the Knicks declined his option earlier this year, and he will become an unrestricted free agent. His lack of size—he's 5'11" and 175 pounds—will likely keep him from ever becoming a starting guard, but he's shown some ability to both score and take care of the ball, and he is still only 22.
In 24.5 minutes per game with the Knicks in 2014-15, Larkin averaged more than six points while shooting 43.3 percent from the field. More impressively, his assist-to-turnover ratio was 2.72.
Larkin may be able to find a team willing to offer more playing time. But he would be a cheap, young option to fill out the bench and push Dinwiddie.
Shooting Guard: John Jenkins
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With Caldwell-Pope and Meeks already on the roster, shooting guard is nearly as loaded as point guard for the Pistons. However, adding more shooting depth would only benefit them.
Atlanta Hawks' third-year guard John Jenkins could be the fit here and will be an unrestricted free agent after also failing to have his option picked up.
Jenkins struggled to find consistent playing time in Atlanta, appearing in only 27 games the past two seasons with the Hawks. But he was drafted for his ability to shoot, and he has proven capable of that in the NBA, hitting 37.5 percent of his career attempts from long range. He went 21-of-52 (40.4 percent) in 2014-15.
Van Gundy loves to spread the floor with three or four knockdown shooters on the court at a time, and adding a 24-year-old with that kind of range for something like the league-minimum salary could be a major addition.
With two guys already at the top of the depth chart, Jenkins wouldn't be asked to do much, and anything he contributed would just be a welcome bonus.
Small Forward DeMarre Carroll
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Another Hawk should be at the top of the Pistons' list at small forward, though he would be asked to play a much bigger role than Jenkins would.
Unrestricted free agent DeMarre Carroll has been one of the NBA's biggest surprises the past two seasons, becoming a key starter on the Hawks' playoff teams after never previously averaging 17 minutes per game in a season. In 2014-15, he averaged 12.6 points while playing strong perimeter defense—enough to earn All-NBA Defensive Team consideration.
Carroll would give Van Gundy that lockdown defensive ability and a solid outside shot—he hit 39.5 percent from the arc this season. He is a strong rebounder for his position and knows how to really pass the ball—he started under Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer for "Spurs East," after all.
Carroll will be 29 by the time the season starts, which puts him on the older side of what is ideal for the Pistons' timeline. But he will only be in his early 30s when the Pistons hope to really be competing in the East, and Carroll should still be an effective three-and-D player at that point.
The cost for signing Carroll is likely $10 million to $12 million per season over four years, which would normally seem excessive for a wing heading towards the end of his prime. But the salary cap is rising dramatically in 2016, and splurging now on him won't feel as much like a burden as it could have otherwise.
Sporting News' Sean Deveney said that the Pistons are expected to make a run at him, though they'll have competition from at least the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. There's a reason why many teams will call Carroll, and the Pistons would get a huge upgrade at small forward if he chooses Detroit as his next home.
Power Forward: Draymond Green
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The Pistons will likely make a run at another versatile forward if they sense that Monroe is leaving in free agency.
Restricted free agent Draymond Green has been a major factor in the Golden State Warriors' NBA Finals run, but Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski (h/t Fox Sports) reported earlier in the year that Green would be interested in joining the Pistons.
"Green has loved playing with the Warriors and winning, and naturally Golden State is determined to find a way to retain him. Still, the Warriors' salary structure almost dictates that Green has to go onto the market and get an offer sheet for them to match in July.
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If the offer is too rich to match, the chance for Green to return to his beloved home state – where he grew up in Saginaw and played at Michigan State in East Lansing – has long intrigued him, sources said. Green still spends most of his time away from the NBA in Michigan.
Van Gundy could do a lot worse than throwing the kitchen sink at Green in a potential deal. He was runner-up to both Kawhi Leonard for 2015 Defensive Player of the Year and Jimmy Butler for 2015 Most Improved Player. Green has the ability to defend nearly any player in the NBA, he is a skilled passer and rebounder and he knocks down over one-third of his triples. And he is still just 25.
Green would immediately improve the Pistons defensively, and his ability to play either forward position would give Van Gundy a lot of flexibility in filling out the roster. The Warriors will want to bring him back, especially if they win the championship.
But if Van Gundy offers Green a maximum contract (or close to it), perhaps Warriors owner Joe Lacob will flinch at the prospect of a hefty luxury tax bill and decline to match the deal. Adding a player of Green's talent is worth the $14 million-plus per season the Pistons would need to pay him.
Center: Brandan Wright
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With Drummond on the roster, the Pistons don't have a big need at center. But if Monroe and Joel Anthony both leave in free agency, then they'll want a backup who can play roughly 15 minutes per night.
Depending on his price tag as an unrestricted free agent, Phoenix Suns big man Brandan Wright could be the right guy for the job. He has played 16.4 minutes per night in his career, and at 27 years old, Wright fits in with the age range of the Pistons' core.
Van Gundy likes to use lineups with only one traditional big man and a stretch power forward, so having a backup center who can protect the rim is a must. Wright is more than capable there, averaging two blocks per 36 minutes for the 2014-15 season.
Drummond is a big shot-blocker and rebounder who gets nearly all of the points at the rim offensively. Wright also pretty much just blocks shots, grabs rebounds and finishes alley-oops. The continuity at center for the Pistons with those two sharing the minutes would be fantastic.
Wright earned $5 million in 2014-15, and that may be too much for the Pistons to pay a backup. But he is one of the most efficient players in the NBA—his 2014-15 player efficiency rating was 20.44—and he is one of the best reserve centers in the league. The Pistons need to add talent wherever they can this offseason.
Jakub Rudnik covers the Detroit Pistons as a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Talk Pistons basketball with him on Twitter.
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