Detroit Pistons 5 potential targets in 2019 NBA free agency

5. Wayne Ellington

The Pistons have already seen that Wayne Ellington fits in their system, and they could use his long-range shooting abilities either as a starter or off the bench if Luke Kennard is finally able to put it together.

After coming over from the Miami Heat in the middle of last season, he increased his percentages from the field, 3-point range and he improved his scoring output. His defense isn’t what it was in his younger years, but his marksmanship makes up for that.

During his short stint, he was the team’s second-best 3-point shooter in the rotation, behind the aforementioned Kennard, and he averaged the fourth-most points on the team. At 6’5″ and 200 pounds, he has decent enough size to not get bullied around by opposing shooting guards, and he showed during that stint that he can still shoot which is what the team desperately needs after finishing last season 23rd in 3-point percentage.

Heading into his age-32 season, Ellington will likely be looking for one last deal to make him some more money while he’s still playing well. Detroit could look to use some of their mid-level exception to offer him a deal somewhere in the range of 2 years/$14 million. They’ll likely be looking to keep their books relatively clean for the long term, so, if he finds something more lucrative than that, they’ll likely have to let him go.