It seems one person was busy during the Detroit Pistons’ offseason, and that was Cade Cunningham.
A strange thought, considering that he is under a fully guaranteed deal that runs out through the 2029-30 season, but there was another reason why he was heavily occupied during the summer.
As reported by ESPN’s Vince Goodwill on NBA Today, he revealed that Cunningham was involved in trying to lure Los Angeles Lakers star Austin Reaves to the Pistons in a blockbuster deal.
It was also reported that Cunningham was trying to help bring Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Kawhi Leonard to the Motor City. But all four options failed to land.
“Banking on internal improvement has been the thought going back from last summer when they didn’t make a big move going into the season,” Goodwill said.
“They want to see how Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland would play together, and it led to 60 wins. Now you’re thinking Detroit was going to go make a big move this past offseason.
“Cade Cunningham was very involved in the potential recruitment of Austin Reaves. Austin Reaves re-signed with the Lakers. Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving – those were all names the Pistons were interested in. No moves materialized and now they’re going to bank on the restricted free agent of Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson’s extension.”
Why didn’t it work?
Whenever superstars are prepared to join a new team, they want everything in order and a roster guaranteed to compete for a championship. The money will follow, but the priority is the foundation.
It’s been very clear that despite building a roster for next season, the contract saga surrounding Jalen Duren is haunting the Pistons.
Duren is a restricted free agent after seeing out the final year of his deal. In a season in which he made the All-NBA Third Team, that accolade makes him eligible for up to five years and roughly $287 million – which he wants.
However, Detroit’s front office is hesitant to bow down to Duren’s request, instead opting for a more affordable contract offer. The hesitancy is mainly down to Duren’s poor showing in the playoffs, following a solid regular season.
It would seem that Detroit’s lack of getting the necessary players and structure in place, as well as failing to work out a deal for Duren, has put the potential superstars off signing for the Pistons this season.
