Free Agency Tracker

[everyoneneedsasmil]

Nobody who would have made a difference to this team was ever going to sign here. Anybody even close to being worth the max would have taken their money from a better team. The best fits on the markets are all restricted and were always going to be matched. It's one thing to know what we need, it's another for that player to be both available and want to play here.

The fact that the Pistons picked up some depth players is fine, insofar as cap space has very little value to this team. We all would have liked something better, but it wasn't actually available. Monroe should have been retained, but that ship sailed a year ago when the team was afraid to offer him the max.

And I've already said it once, but it seems pretty obvious that SVG is a poor money manager when it comes to personnel. Orlando did the same thing with SVG that Detroit is doing now - overpaying for every role player they land simply because they fit SVG's system. A good GM would be able to take a step back and put a hold on this kind of thing, explaining to the coach that fit is fine, but players should be paid for production.

 

[tomdalton22]

From ESPN free agency winners and losers article. (losers)

Detroit Pistons: Detroit was never going to land a home run with its cap space bonanza, but its free agency feels like a dull meal without one killer dish. Ersan Ilyasova is a really good 2011-era stretch big that the league has largely figured out. Aron Baynes has a niftier offensive game than you might think, but he’s a 28-year-old backup, and the Pistons paid him almost $7 million per season for some reason — more than Memphis will pay Brandan Wright. It’s possible a team over the cap might have offered Baynes the full midlevel exception, about $5.5 million per season, but I haven’t found one.

The Suns’ salary dump is fine; Marcus Morris will do well in Detroit, and we might actually get to see if Reggie Bullock can play. This still feels like insufficient return for the cap space that could have gone to Monroe — even if Monroe and Andre Drummond made for an awkward fit at times.

In cold financial terms, Detroit misread the market on Reggie Jackson in signing him to a five-year, $80 million deal late in free agency. Jackson did well running Stan Van Gundy’s spread pick-and-roll offense around Andre Drummond, but he can’t shoot, and the Pistons had no one to outbid. The point guard market dried up.

In emotional terms, you can explain away this deal. Jackson wants to be loved, and the Pistons just bought $80 million of good locker room vibes. Their experience with Monroe taught them to fear the threat of a restricted free agent rejecting a “lowball” deal, signing the one-year qualifying offer, and getting the hell out of town. Was Jackson going to risk that after banking “just” $5.8 million over his first four seasons?

Probably not. But the avalanche of cap room coming next summer gives Jackson leverage that past restricted free agents didn’t have. When only a half-dozen suitors were primed to spend, a team in Detroit’s position could dare their restricted free agents: “Go to the market. There are five teams who can bid for you, and four of them have someone at your position.” Point guard is loaded, but if Jackson had entered unrestricted free agency after a strong season, some team would have opened the vault.

Still: Detroit could have squeezed a better deal. Patrick Beverley isn’t on Jackson’s level as a playmaker, but he’s a good player who drew real interest, and Houston let him hang before re-signing him to a cheapo four-year, $25 million deal. Detroit had some leverage, and even with the cap booming, every dollar counts.

The damage isn’t serious, and at least everyone will be happy — a good first step in Detroit. I am curious to see if the Jackson-Ilyasova-Drummond spread pick-and-roll structure looks better on paper than in reality. It would have killed teams three years ago, but the league has gotten smarter about ducking under picks against point guards with shaky jumpers, and switching against bigs who can’t do much damage in the post.

Van Gundy will get the most out of these guys, and Jackson, at 25, might be a late bloomer now that he’s getting to run a team.

 

[dubbsco]

If Jackson becomes more of an outside threat, which he can, this entire comment from ESPN is basically null and void.

And I really don't understand what they are talking about in regards to the stretch 4 being figured out?? It is one of the most important parts of today's game.

 

[everyoneneedsasmil]

I don't think Jackson was worth the money. I think the team again overpaid for a solid, but unspectacular starter. Jackson is an inefficient scorer and poor defender. He would need to improve significantly from 3 or start drawing a lot more fouls to really change that. I think his late season surge with Detroit (which was really just a boost to assists and shots) oversells his actual talent, and his future production is not going to be as impactful as his contract.

 

[tomdalton22]

If Jackson becomes more of an outside threat, which he can, this entire comment from ESPN is basically null and void.

And I really don't understand what they are talking about in regards to the stretch 4 being figured out?? It is one of the most important parts of today's game.

Did you not read this part?

"I am curious to see if the Jackson-Ilyasova-Drummond spread pick-and-roll structure looks better on paper than in reality. It would have killed teams three years ago, but the league has gotten smarter about ducking under picks against point guards with shaky jumpers, and switching against bigs who can?t do much damage in the post."

I know that is the case with Jackson...I imagine that Ilyasova has no post game.

 

[greenbeerd13]

The Pistons trade Quincy Miller to acquire PG Steve Blake

I will assume this is another salary dump, haven't looked at Blake's contract just yet, but he makes Meeks / Jennings more tradeable. Decent deal.

 

[biggunsbob]

Damn I wish Dumars and the Piston's had won more titles then just 2004.. At least they did get over the hump unlike the Tigers but it feels like we left a few titles on the table just like the Tigers.. frustrating.. I so want them to be good again because i really do like NBA playoff basketball..

Not sure how I feel about any of these deals.. I really hope we make the playoffs.. but then again I hate drafting freaking 8th every damn season it seems.. We need a difference maker who wants to connect with the City of Detroit.. If that is possible..

 

[everyoneneedsasmil]

Damn I wish Dumars and the Piston's had won more titles then just 2004.. At least they did get over the hump unlike the Tigers but it feels like we left a few titles on the table just like the Tigers.. frustrating.. I so want them to be good again because i really do like NBA playoff basketball..

Not sure how I feel about any of these deals.. I really hope we make the playoffs.. but then again I hate drafting freaking 8th every damn season it seems.. We need a difference maker who wants to connect with the City of Detroit.. If that is possible..

The only championship I feel the team left on the table was 2005. Literally, Sheed covers Horry and the 'ship is ours.

I feel like Stan the GM isn't a very savvy guy. He built a contender with one superstar and a bunch of overpaid role players in Orlando, and now he's trying to do it again. That might work to get the team into the second round for a few years, but not anywhere near the finals in the current league. The Pistons should be better next year than they were this year, but not a whole lot better. And really, picking 15th every year instead of 8th only makes it that much harder to get talent.

The other problem is player assessment in general. Reggie Jackson is a fine PG, but he's not a star and doesn't appear to have the skills to be one. Drummond has all the physical tools of a Dwight Howard, but right now he's on pace to be a poor man's Deandre Jordan (which is not nearly as good). There isn't an above average starter anywhere else on the team, and we're all just hoping with Stanley Johnson. Locking the team's cap up on all these limited backups and role-players doesn't seem like a prudent way to build a team.

 

[tomdalton22]

An article I read that had the 10 worst off season signings.

#7 Aron Baynes

New Contract: 3 years, $20 million

Yet another Spurs backup who cashed in this summer, Aron Baynes earning $20 million is curious to say the least.

Baynes always stayed ready and played well in the few minutes he'd get court time under Coach Pop, but the Detroit Pistons already have Andre Drummond locking down the center position. Handing Baynes more than what Brandan Wright is set to earn in Memphis over the course of his three-year contract just doesn't compute.

#1 Reggie Jackson

New Contract: 4 years, $80 million

To put things simply, the Pistons are paying Reggie Jackson a huge sum of money based on a 27-game sample size.

His numbers in Detroit were much better than those he posted in OKC—17.6 points, 9.2 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game—but he shot just 33.7 percent from long range and turned the ball over 3.5 times per contest.

There was a lot to like, but Jackson has to show the capability to perform at an elite level over an 82-game grind to justify this deal. Until then, John Wall and others will continue to doubt the 25-year-old's new contract.

 

[dubbsco]

What other options do they have? Let Jackson go, and sign some cast-off PG??? This was the right move. Calling it the worst off-season signing is a joke.

 

[tomdalton22]

What other options do they have? Let Jackson go, and sign some cast-off PG??? This was the right move. Calling it the worst off-season signing is a joke.

well, he was a restricted FA. They were sitting in a great spot but they over paid him.

 

[dubbsco]

Not really. That's just the market in the NBA today.

 

[tomdalton22]

Not really. That's just the market in the NBA today.

no, he was restricted. They would have had the opportunity to match any offer that was made to him. There were no rumors that any other team was interested...they out bid themselves!

Stupid!