The Detroit Pistons seem poised to add a star this offseason, but that’s much easier than that.
The Detroit Pistons made the playoffs for the first time since this season and won their first playoff game since 2008.
With the Eastern Conference weaker than ever, the Pistons need to take another step and be poised to compete with the Indiana Pacers for the Eastern Conference Championship title.
But beyond their control, it may prevent them from adding Marquee’s talent this summer.
Yes, LeBron James, Fred Vanvriet, Kyrie Irving and James Harden are all free agents this summer.
Beyond that, the free agent class, especially the unlimited free agent, simply becomes weaker. Detroit was able to play for Naz Reid, a needle-moving backup center, but he is expected to become the most popular free agent this summer.
Both Jonathan Cuminga and Cam Thomas are restricted to free agents, but the Golden State Warriors and Brooklynnett almost guarantee a sign-and-trade with those players if they leave town, preventing pistons from adding free.
| player | ppg | RPG | APG | FG% | 3pt% |
| Brook Lopez | 13.0 | 5.0 | 1.8 | 50.9% | 37.3% |
| Bruce Brown | 8.3 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 42.1% | 33.3% |
| Malcolm Blogdon | 12.7 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 43.3% | 28.6% |
| Miles Turner | 15.8 | 6.5 | 1.5 | 48.1% | 39.6% |
| Dangelo Russell | 12.8 | 2.8 | 5.1 | 39.0% | 31.4% |
None of the best unlimited free agents necessarily reinforce title hopes, they just add bench depth.
Depth is important, but these are not the type of players they are holding press conferences and fans will not buy jerseys.
Adding proven talent seems a must for a young team on the rise, but Detroit can improve without signing flashy free agency.
Tim Hardaway Jr., Dennis Schroder and Malik Beasley are all free agents this summer, and all three can be invited to Detroit, but the Pistons can offer a considerable role with enough cash and title contenders to stay.
On top of that, promising youngster Jaden Ivy is expected to return to start the season after only playing 30 games last year. In his limited sample size, he improved the percentage of 3 points from 33.6% to 40.9%.
Forwards Ron Holland and Oserle Thompson are both high-level defenders, and under the belt of another NBA offseason, they were able to jump over the offensive side of the ball.
The Eastern Conference is weaker than ever, and adding an established star allows you to place the piston on top of the hump, which doesn’t seem feasible, but they can build long-standing winners if they play their cards correctly.