No easy solutions for Detroit Pistons with NBA free agency looming

Vince Ellis | Detroit Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Watch: SVG, Jeff Bower introduce Luke Kennard Pistons president/coach Stan Van Gundy, GM Jeff Bower and rookie Luke Kennard take questions at a press conference from the Palace on June 23, 2017. Kennard says his favorite player to watch was Tayshaun Prince.

The grocery store opens July 1 at midnight, but the Detroit Pistons’ pantry is stocked.

But the franchise is coming off a season that yielded unappetizing meals.

That’s one way to look at the upcoming NBA free agency period, which begins when the clock turns to Saturday next week.

Teams armed with cap space will be able to peruse the aisles and spend money on prime ingredients (Gordon Hayward or Blake Griffin would qualify).

The Pistons, who are projected to be over the $99-million salary cap, likely will be forced to use arcane mechanisms to shop in the dollar aisle (Ramon Sessions or Shelvin Mack, come on down).

So, barring a trade with another team, the Pistons’ paths to upgrading the roster are limited.

Team president and coach Stan Van Gundy has said he is prepared to roll out the same group of players when the franchise moves into Little Caesars Arena this fall.

The same group that disappointed last season, unable to build on an exciting 2015-16 finish that ended the franchise’s six-season playoff drought.

Yeah, that group.

“I like our team,” Van Gundy said Thursday night after the Pistons selected Duke shooting guard Luke Kennard in the NBA draft.

“I’ve said that many times. We didn’t have a good year. We can come back with our same group, and I feel with better health and guys with a little better focus, we can be a lot better with the same group. Does that mean we’re not going do our due diligence and try to find things that make us better? Not at all. We’re always looking for ways to get better.”

Given the team’s financial reality, Van Gundy might not have much choice.

Current path

The Pistons are on the hook for just under $95 million in salaries for next season. The total includes the $5.3 million for Josh Smith, who was waived in Dec. 2014, allowing the Pistons to stretch his money until 2020.

Throw in a new contract for restricted free agent shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and the Pistons officially will be over the $99-million cap and probably will flirt with the $119-million luxury-tax line.

Meet new Detroit Pistons SG Luke Kennard Let's get to know Duke shooting guard Luke Kennard, whom the Detroit Pistons selected 12th in the 2017 NBA draft. Video by Marlowe Alter, Detroit Free Press

That's big money for a team that produced very little.

Nonetheless, the inability to attract big-name talent isn’t that dire for the Pistons (the franchise never has been a prime free-agent destination). But cap space does help facilitate trades.

The Pistons used available cap space in 2015 to secure their most valuable contract in terms of cost vs. production – the two years, $10.3 million owed to forward Marcus Morris. The Pistons spent a 2020 second-round pick in the transaction, which also landed shooting guard Reggie Bullock and veteran forward Danny Granger.

It’s easy to criticize the current situation, but what was the alternative?

Think back to this time last year. The youthful Pistons were coming off a 44-38 season and were more than competitive against the eventual NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers while being swept in a first-round playoff series.

The Pistons’ starting five was one of the best in the league, based on the plus-minus statistic.

The issue was an awful bench, so it was assumed the signings of free agents Ish Smith and Jon Leuer would bolster the Pistons' Eastern Conference aspirations.

It didn’t happen, as they stumbled to 37-45 and missed the playoffs.

What were the Pistons supposed to do? Shop point guard Reggie Jackson, coming off a season when some national pundits wrote he was worthy of NBA All-Star consideration? At 26 years old?

Should they have passed on giving center Andre Drummond a maximum contract? After an NBA All-Star selection at 22 years old?

That's not exactly realistic.

KCP getting paid

Which brings us to Caldwell-Pope.

He enters restricted free agency after emerging as arguably the Pistons’ best two-way player.

The going rate for a young, three-and-D player with some upside likely will be $20-million-plus per season.

It’s obvious the Pistons are reluctant to pay the 24-year-old Caldwell-Pope a maximum contract, which would start at $24.75 million per season.

But can they afford to pass on a player theoretically entering his prime?

Before the draft, turning the shooting guard spot over to Stanley Johnson, Darrun Hilliard and Michael Gbinije wasn’t an enticing option.

Does Kennard’s presence change that?

Related:

It's unlikely, given Van Gundy’s history with rookies.

The Pistons probably would match an offer sheet from another team starting with a first-year salary below $20 million.

The Pistons likely would match a max offer sheet, too.

But if an offer sheet isn’t procured by Caldwell-Pope, the process could drag on throughout the off-season.

Getting help

Assuming Caldwell-Pope is back, that puts the roster at 14 players – although roster deadlines loom for Hilliard and Gbinije.

If nothing materializes on the trade market, the Pistons would still need to add a point guard behind Jackson and Smith.

They will have the $8.4 million mid-level exception (which can be split among multiple players) and the $3.3-million bi-annual exception at their disposal.

And that’s where players like Sessions (the cash-strapped Hornets carry a team option) and Mack (a Utah Jazz unrestricted free agent) could come in. The Pistons also could favor a young, developmental prospect at point guard.

Don’t rule out the trade market. Since Van Gundy and general manager Jeff Bower came to town before the 2014-15 season, the Pistons have been one of the most active front offices in the league.

And Van Gundy, who enters the fourth year of a five-year contract, knows the score. Another season like his last won’t cut it.

“We won 37 games, which was my other point to my team at the end of the year,” he said. “We’re going to look to do anything we can to get better. That’s just reality of it. … We’re not out shopping any of our guys, but Jeff Bower is talking to anybody. If you have a chance to get better, you do it, but we don’t have that right now.”

Contact Vince Ellis at vellis@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @vincent_ellis56.

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Pistons take more than just a shooter in Luke Kennard Free Press sports writers Vince Ellis and Shawn Windsor break down the Pistons' draft pick, Duke guard Luke Kennard.

Three things to watch

Free agency begins Saturday at midnight. The Pistons don’t have the cap space to pursue a big-name free agent, but there still are story lines to watch:

KCP’s payday: The shooting guard is a restricted free agent and will be seeking a deal in excess of $20 million per season. Without an offer sheet from an opposing team, the process could drag out.

Exceptions: The Pistons will have the $8.4-million midlevel exception and $3.3-million biannual exception to use on lesser free agents. A position of need is a point guard behind Reggie Jackson and Ish Smith.

Trade rumors: Rumors have been swirling around the Pistons since before the February trade deadline. Will Andre Drummond or Jackson be dealt? Unlikely, but with cap concerns, maybe Jon Leuer or Tobias Harris could be on the move.