The Detroit Pistons may not be an attractive destination for free agents, but they have plenty of cap space to play with and are eager to use it.
The Pistons declined the $19 million team option on Evan Fournier on Saturday, a move that does not come as a surprise. As a result, the Pistons will have roughly $50 million in cap space entering the offseason.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that new team president Trajan Langdon wants to use that space to take on bad contracts while accumulating future NBA Draft assets.
The Detroit Pistons are declining Evan Fournier's $19 million team option, sources tell ESPN. This opens up $50 million in cap room for the franchise. New President Trajan Langdon is eager to use the team's space to take on contracts with future draft assets.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 29, 2024
That strategy can certainly be effective if done correctly, as the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics have used it to land some high picks in the past. The frustration for Pistons fans will be that they are already landing plenty of high-end draft choices thanks to their own performance, but the reality is the team is not at all close to contention.
The Pistons are also trying to find a new head coach, with one leading candidate removing himself from consideration earlier this week.
