Stan Van Gundy has had a pretty successful off-season. They weren’t able to attract any free agents, but they bolstered their front lineup by adding Marcus Morris through a trade the Suns shouldn’t have made. They drafted Stanley Johnson, who has aspirations of being the next LeBron James. They retained Reggie Jackson and are convinced him and Brandon Jennings will work well together. Now according to Terry Foster of Detroit News, the Pistons want to continue with their core:
Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said the team will begin contract extension talks with center Andre Drummond in the next couple of weeks, with hopes of locking him up to a long-term contract — likely a maximum contract extension.
The extension isn’t for the Pistons to secure Drummond for the future. It’s to make him their superstar for years to come. There is no doubt Drummond has the potential to be in a star in this league, but the minutes rotation with Greg Monroe didn’t give him freedom to do so. The Pistons want loyalty. They want what Kawhi Leonard did for the Spurs.
Foster breaks down the Pistons cap issues:
If Drummond signs this summer, he will count about $21 million against the cap in 2016-17. If he doesn’t sign then he becomes a restricted free agent and he’d count $8.1 million against the cap. That is a savings of nearly $13 million and the Pistons could use that to upgrade the talent around Drummond.
Here is the potential downside for Drummond. He will be a max player if he stays healthy. If he injures himself, the Pistons are under no obligation to give him a max deal. He could lose millions.
If the Pistons were to lock in Drummond, they would have a good core of Jennings, Jackson, Drummond and young Stanley Johnson. Not a bad start for Stan Van Gundy’s Pistons.
