The Detroit Pistons have re-signed Hamidou Diallo, which has left the team with some questions about its roster. Detroit now has 16 guaranteed contracts and by the time it tips off in October, it will have to make a decision on what to do with one of them.
There isn’t a rush to make a declaration just yet, though. The Pistons can take up to 20 players into training camp and they won’t have to cut down their roster to 15 until the day before the regular season. As of now, Detroit has 19 players expected to join the team in training camp, which includes the 16 players who are under contract, two-way players and one player reportedly signed to an Exhibit 10 contract.
As of now, here is a breakdown of who is expected to participate in training camp:
PG: Killian Hayes, Cory Joseph, Saben Lee
SG: Cade Cunningham, Frank Jackson, Rodney McGruder
SF: Saddiq Bey, Hamidou Diallo, Josh Jackson, Isaiah Livers
PF: Jerami Grant, Trey Lyles, Sekou Doumbouya
C: Isaiah Stewart, Kelly Olynyk, Jahlil Okafor
Two-Way: Chris Smith, Luka Garza
Exhibit 10: Jamorko Pickett
So what happens next?
Pistons head coach Dwane Casey has often spoken of the NBA and now his team’s transition toward playing position-less basketball. When the Pistons overhauled their roster last season they put a premium on players who brought versatility.
Players like recently Diallo and Josh Jackson showed that they can split time at both shooting guard and small forward. Grant, as well as Bey, played at small forward and power forward last season. Now with the addition of Lyles and Livers, the Pistons have an influx of players locked in at forward.
Last season, Doumbouya had a lot of competition for playing time with both Blake Griffin and Grant playing the bulk of available minutes. With so many players competing for time at the three and the four, Doumbouya is once again in a tight battle for minutes.
The forward, who is heading into his third season, played 56 games last year, averaging 5.1 points and 2.6 rebounds. He found more consistency toward the end of the season in April, where he averaged 23 minutes. He had a breakthrough in his last nine games, averaging 10.7 points and 4.8 rebounds in 27 minutes.
Doumbouya is the longest-tenured Piston and in a tenable position since general manager Troy Weaver inherited him when he was hired last June. So should it come down to it, the Pistons could broker a deal to open up the roster spot.
Another player the Pistons could have on the trading block may be Josh Jackson, who proved to be one of the team’s better defenders. In addition to his defense, Jackson showed that he could be a valuable asset on nights when he got hot. He ended the season knocking down 30 percent of his shots from distance on 4.1 attempts per game.
Both Josh Jackson and Jahlil Okafor are under contract for just one more season, while Doumbouya becomes eligible for his rookie extension next offseason. Okafor is owed $2.1 million this season, while Jackson is set to earn $5 million.
So, the Pistons could decide that it is far cheaper in the long run to keep both Okafor and Jackson. Doumbouya is set to become a restricted free agent in 2023, with a qualifying offer of $7.7 million. The team has a club option worth $5.5 million in 2022, per Spotrac.
Detroit will have more cap space heading into the 2022-23 season with Griffin’s salary comes off the books, but the team could look to spend in upcoming free agency periods.
For now, the Pistons will open training camp on Sept. 28 and will begin their season on Oct. 20 hosting the Chicago Bulls at Little Caesars Arena.
More: Pistons, Cade Cunningham open 2021-22 season versus Bulls Oct. 20
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August 21, 2021 at 05:05PM
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Pistons have options to alleviate crowded roster after re-signing Hamidou Diallo - MLive.com
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