Andre Drummond was clear.

Making an appearance last month at a basketball tournament near the area where he grew up in Connecticut, the longtime Detroit Pistons center stated his intentions.

After this season, he plans to decline a $28.75 million player option for the 2020-21 season and become one of the top free agents available next summer.

The exchange went like this:

Reporter: “You’ve got a lot of years left, you’re still a young guy …”

(Drummond cuts him off).

Drummond: “I’m a free agent next summer.”

Reporter: “Are you looking forward to that?”

Drummond: “Yeah, it should be fun. I’m excited. I think I’m the only one that has a big contract coming up for that year.”

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Is it a foregone conclusion that Drummond will hit the open market after seven seasons with the Pistons?

Nope. But the decision is with the Pistons.

Multiple sources have told the Free Press that Drummond and his representatives have requested extension talks.

The Pistons’ response?

That’s still to be determined.

Drummond’s contract status is the top storyline for the Pistons as training camp begins Tuesday in East Lansing.

The Pistons are trying to improve upon last season’s 41-41 mark, and Drummond, coming off a strong second half last season, figures to play a large role.

From now until Oct. 21, Drummond can opt in for the 2020-21 season and add up to three additional years. The first year of the extension can be any amount up to 120% of his 2020-21 salary (a max of $34.5 million).

After Oct. 21, he can opt out and be eligible to sign an extension until June 30, but the starting salary can’t be below $28.75 million or exceed $34.5 million. Or he could just opt out and test the waters and sign wherever he chooses.

The Pistons would still have an advantage by retaining Drummond’s Bird Rights. They could offer him up to roughly five years and $190 million; other teams could offer around four years, $140 million.

Drummond, who turned 26 last month, is coming off the best season of his career, in which he averaged 17.3 points, 15.6 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.7 blocks in 79 games.

After missing three games in the NBA’s concussion protocol in January, he averaged 18.3 points, 16.6 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.9 steals over the last 32 games. He shot 57.6% from the field and 65.2% from the free-throw line.

[ Pistons return production, but add new faces to 2019-20 roster ]

The Pistons’ record in the final 32 games was 19-13, which was good enough to earn the franchise its second playoff appearance in a decade.

During that stretch, the Pistons were 10 points better per 100 possessions when Drummond was on the floor, easily the best number on the team.

Drummond clicked with first-year coach Dwane Casey, and there is optimism his second season with Casey could produce another level for the two-time All-Star who has struggled with inconsistency in seven seasons.

It’s still not an easy call.

Drummond’s game – a rebounding, pick-and-roll rim runner – isn’t as valued.

The league is moving toward centers with 3-point range; the Pistons ditched Drummond’s 3-point green light early last season, although they will try the experiment again this season.

What is the market for comparable centers?

Nikola Vucevic signed a four-year, $100 million contract to remain with the Orlando Magic this offseason. Al Horford signed a four-year, $97 million deal to join the Philadelphia 76ers.

But the Pistons have one more factor to consider.

They currently have only Blake Griffin and rookie Sekou Doumbouya under contract for the 2021-22 season.

The Pistons want to have ample cap space for the summer of 2021 which promises to be an active offseason with a star-studded cast of free agents set to the hit the open market.

Although Detroit isn’t a popular free-agent destination, the Pistons' cap space is ideal to facilitate trades when significant player movement is expected.

[ Pistons in 2020 NBA free agency: 10 players who might be a match ]

It’s not clear if Drummond expects a max contract to agree to an extension. Expect the Pistons to make an offer before the season, but the outcome is uncertain — unlike the lead up to him signing of a max contract in the 2016 offseason.

If Drummond decides to play it out, he could be entering his final days with the franchise that drafted him in the first round of the 2012 NBA draft.

When asked about that prospect this week, Casey indicated such decisions were above his paygrade.

“Andre understands who he is, what he means to us, how important he is to our program, where he is in his career, where he stands in the league,” Casey said.

Casey continued: “I try to stay out of the contract part of it, but my thing is, I want every one of our players to be rewarded, but the only way you are rewarded in this league is by winning. I hope they get every penny that's coming to him, but the only way we accomplish that together is through winning.”

Here are four more storylines to follow for the Pistons during training camp.

Who plays the two?

Four starting spots appear to be set.

Barring something unforeseen, Drummond, Griffin, Reggie Jackson and newcomer Tony Snell will be in the starting lineup when the Pistons open the season Oct. 23 at Indiana

Who will man the two-spot?

It’s a deep yet unproven group with Luke Kennard, Bruce Brown, Langston Galloway, Khyri Thomas and Svi Mykhailiuk.

The two leading candidates are Brown, the defense-first incumbent who started 56 games last season, and Kennard, one of the most gifted offensive players on the team.

“I’m not leaning either way,” Casey said when asked about Kennard. “No decision has been made. We’re not going to put anything in concrete. I like him with the second unit just because of the balance he has.

“I think we utilize his skill set more with the second unit, because if he’s with the first unit, now he’s competing for pick-and-rolls with Reggie and Blake, and now he’s a third pick-and-roll guy, basically.

More: Dwane Casey on Year 2: 'Our identity has to be a 3-point shooting team'

More:Pistons fall short in record projections for 2019-20 NBA season

What’s the priority?

Swingman Joe Johnson and big man Christian Wood – both with partially guaranteed contracts – are vying for the final roster spot.

Will Casey go with the veteran leadership of Johnson, who turned 38 in the offseason?

Or will he decide the team needs the frontcourt depth with Wood, a talented prospect?

Trading one of the two-guards could create the roster spot to keep both.

Can the rookie show early promise?

Doumbouya, 18, will likely see a lot of action during the first few games of the preseason as the team tries to get the prospect used to the NBA.

Casey said Doumbouya will primarily learn the small forward spot initially to not overload his plate.

The early analysis says it will likely be a redshirt year of sorts for the league’s youngest player.

Windsor:Pistons took risk drafting Sekou Doumbouya. Here's why it made sense

Health is key (duh)

Casey said everyone is ready for camp.

But there are health issues to monitor.

Griffin had offseason left knee surgery.

Jackson had a toenail removed recently, although Casey called the procedure minor.

Kennard was bothered by a sore foot late last season, and Casey said his offseason workload was monitored.

Markieff Morris was bothered by a neck injury last season, but early word is he is fully recovered.

More:How Pistons went from yearly NBA title contention to rubble

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