The Detroit Pistons are excited about the future and the continued development of their young stars. Of course, it is all led by Cade Cunningham, who is starting to emerge as one of the NBA’s rising stars.
This summer was all about securing some of the young players the organization believes in. One of them was Ausar Thompson.
“In other Pistons news, Ausar Thompson officially put pen to paper on his new 5yr/$155M contract extension. The Pistons now have Cunningham and Thompson officially on the books long-term, with Thompson's deal coming in around 15% of the cap," NBA insider Brett Siegel posted.
However, the biggest storyline of the offseason for Detroit has been Jalen Duren and the ongoing contract drama. Both sides were unwilling to give in to the other's demands. Finally, Duren agreed to a contract with the Pistons.
“All-NBA and All-Star center Jalen Duren has agreed to sign a five-year, $200 million fully guaranteed contract to return to the Detroit Pistons, agent Chafie Fields of THE•TEAM tells ESPN. This ends a prolonged restricted free agency dispute between the two sides," ESPN's Shams Charania posted.
Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz proposed a trade that would send Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett to the Pistons in exchange for Ron Holland II and draft capital.
“The ideal trade target would be a wing who can create for themselves and others, helping to keep the offense humming when Cunningham needs a break or hits an inevitable shooting slump. This list could include players like RJ Barrett. Detroit has all of its first-round picks moving forward, making a potential blockbuster more likely. Former No. 5 overall pick Ron Holland II could be used as trade bait, as the runway hasn't been opened for him in Detroit to reach his potential,” Swartz said.
This move would give Detroit another scoring option to pair with Cunningham, potentially creating problems for opposing defenses around the league. Combined with the rest of the young talent on the roster, Barrett could help make the Pistons an even more formidable team.
Barrett is currently playing on a $107 million deal with the Raptors. Detroit finished as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference last season. The Pistons need more shooting, and Barrett could help address that weakness.
