Detroit Pistons: 3 reasons to make a trade approaching the deadline
By Amaar Burton
3. The Pistons need to create salary cap space
Lack of financial flexibility has hampered the Pistons’ recent efforts to take a meaningful step up in the Eastern Conference hierarchy.
Detroit may have been a long shot to land available superstars such as Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Chris Paul and Jimmy Butler even if they could offer a Brinks truck full of cash, but the team’s cap situation made it so the Pistons were often taken out of the running before the race began.
According to HoopsHype, the Pistons have the league’s 11th-highest payroll this season, and project to be 11th again for the 2019-20 season given their current contracts.
Today's #Pistons status PSA:
— Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) January 8, 2019
*CTRL+V*
The Pistons are way over the salary cap and within $1M of the luxury-tax line. They cannot even add a vet minimum contract or free agent without making a pretty big trade.
If Detroit can trade some of its less-favorable contracts in the next few weeks in exchange for some expiring deals, it can create more salary cap space for what is a star-studded 2019 class of free agents.
Reggie Jackson could reap the biggest reward should the Pistons trade their starting point guard. His reported salary is $17 million this season and increases to $18 million next season before is contract expires in 2020.
Backup forward Jon Leuer ($10 million), guard Langston Galloway ($7 million) and guard Luke Kennard (last season’s lottery pick still on his rookie deal) are some other Pistons with multi-year contracts who could be moved to make more room under the cap this summer.