Several players on the roster have nonguaranteed contracts for next season, but this move would potentially allow the Pistons to create more than $30 million to use on free agents and then still be able to sign Drummond.
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Stan Van Gundy didn’t build the Pistons so they would be wholly dependent on their ability to hit 3-point shots. “I want to rub it in somebody’s face that we’re a great team”. In the 2014-15 preseason, the Pistons distribution of shots was 44.6 percent around the rim, 29.5 percent from three-point land, and 25.9 percent from everywhere else.
The Pistons now have just one preseason game remaining, taking on the Atlanta Hawks at the Palace on Friday before preparing for next Tuesday’s regular season debut, also against the Hawks.
The decision to wait doesn’t affect his salary for this season – he would have made $3.3 million even if he signed a new agreement. On the contrary, the delay of his imminent max-level salary gives Detroit additional flexibility on the open market next summer – a reality of which a gushing Van Gundy says Drummond is fully aware. They traded for forwards Ersan Ilyasova and Marcus Morris and signed point guard Reggie Jackson to a long-term contract.
The situation is similar to how the San Antonio Spurs handled Kawhi Leonard. Would he really do that if $120 million is on the table?
Bullock came into training camp in a competition with Danny Granger, Darrun Hilliard, Adonis Thomas and others for one of the final roster spots with the Pistons but now his concern should be about playing time as he has left the competitors for the final roster spots in the dust. In the 27 games it played with Jackson, the team went 10-17.
If this is the case, and the Pistons stink this year prior to stinking up the free agent turn next summer, wouldn’t Andre Drummond, victor Above All want to take a swing at a better team in 2016 and eventually 2017? The only way he could leave in 2017 is to accept the one-year, $4,433,683 qualifying offer. On winning teams, those players look like nice pieces individually.
Still, the Pistons’ future is riding on a few salary cap space and the brief rush of free agency, which is a dance Detroit fans have sadly seen before.
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And Andre Drummond, despite his convictions, will still have options.
