New Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said he’s willing to use a chunk of his cap space to take on unwanted contracts from teams looking to shed salary. He’ll look for sweeteners as he tries to build assets during the franchise’s latest rebuild.
“One thing we are looking for with the cap space we do have is bringing in contracts maybe from other teams and gathering assets as well,” Langdon said. “Hopefully, with the players that come in, they can bolster the growth (of the younger players). If we can interweave those two things, that would make our summer successful.”
The Pistons could have more than $60MM in cap space to utilize. However, Langdon isn’t looking for a quick fix, even if the team’s fan base is weary of losing. Detroit hasn’t won a playoff series since 2008.
“I don’t think there’s a timeframe for us to get to the playoffs,” he said.
We have more on the Pistons:
- Team owner Tom Gores gave the green light to Langdon to dismiss head coach Monty Williams, even though Williams had five years and $65MM remaining on his contract. Gores had no qualms about eating that much money in order for a fresh start. “When you have to adjust, you adjust,” Gores said, per Omari Sankofa II of theDetroit Free Press. “This franchise means everything to me. It’s not like I didn’t think about it for a second, but the right thing has to survive. I think it was the right move for all of us, including for Monty, but it’s not like I didn’t think about it at all. It’s significant. We’ve just always got to do the best thing for the franchise.”
- The Pistons will be picking fifth in this week’s draft, though Langdon is willing to move that selection if the right offer comes along, Sankofa writes in a separate story. “We like five a lot,” he said. “Obviously we’re going to look to be strategic. If someone comes along and blows us away for that fifth pick, I think we have to understand and analyze what’s the best decision. Do we pick at five, or do we move back? We’re not looking at moving out of the draft, but again, if decisions come and offers come that we think will make us better as an organization going forward, we’re going to have to look at everything. If we stay at five, we’ll find a good player.”
- Langdon spoke about punctuality during Friday’s press conference, expecting players and employees to be on time and return phone calls and texts promptly. Those words rang hollow to the media, who waited for over an hour after the scheduled start of the press conference due to Gores being stuck in traffic, Shawn Windsor of the Free Press notes. It fed into the notion that Gores is disconnected from the franchise, something he denies. “I know some people think I’m not attached enough to the organization, that I’m detached. But I want to give this organization everything I can,” he said.
The first order of business is facilitate or do whatever to get those damn protections off of your FRP that you owe the Knicks. You can’t make a FRP trade until like 2029 or beyond bc of that dumb trade.
Like how TF did you not get your FRP back trading Bojan?
Give the Knicks Grimes back or something and get your FRP back.
Got to wonder if a Cade Cunningham trade is on the cards in the future then.
This guys talking about not spending FA but instead taking back bad contract and sweeteners.
No rush to make the playoffs and stuff like that.
Cade doesn’t seem like the kinda guy that wants stay losing for another 3 years or so, and not to mention he’s due for an extension soon.
If this guys so keen on adding assets then your best trade chip is Cade.
Spurs would be a fantastic landing spot imagine him, Vassell and Wemby. Spurs have two top 10 picks and could throw in some mixture of young players like Sochan, Wesley, Branham and Cissoko.
Pelicans would have to be up there aswell, multiple first round picks, and guys like Daniels, Hawkins and Murphy. Although I’m less of a fan of him and Zion as a duo.
Houston would be the underdog, they have the third overall pick, Jalen Green possibly, the other Thompson twin, Tari Eason, Cam Whitmore and so on.
They said the same thing about shai. They will keep him
Detroit makes no sense to me in the last few season. They keep experimenting with 5 centers on the roster (Bagley was listed as PF I think). They fired a really good coach. Who was giving his contract out of desperation yes but firing him did not absolve that. They pick top 7-8 every year and have little to show for it. If I’m Cunningham trade me now. Get out of that dumpster fire.
Monty was fired for being a really bad coach. It was so bad there is open speculation he was intentionally bad so he would be fired and could get paid for being home with his family.
Do you think the Sochan experiment is over? Some of the draft picks predicted gives them a chance yo make Sochan an extra in the Spurs movie. But Pop saw something and he doesn’t give up easy on something if he thinks it’s there.
Cade has barely been healthy enough and has had his struggles as well, if he was an established star I would understand but he aint even a star yet
Cade stays. If you don’t think the extra money is why, and you don’t think the Pistons standing by him and offering an extension even though he has had injury woes multiple years is why, then consider how valued a young distributor who can create and also catch and shoot is worth to a rebuilding team. Cade plays well with all teammates and roster constructions. That is why you suggested he fits with 3 different teams. He stays in Detroit.
Well ……. I guess no Kenny Atkinson now.