The 5 worst free agent signings in Detroit Pistons history
By Corey Rausch
Langston Galloway
Please do not misunderstand this placement as me having a problem with the Langston Galloway tenure on the Pistons. Galloway is one of my favorite role players I have ever watched on the Detroit Pistons and the issue is more with Stan Van Gundy and cap management than anything else.
The contract for Galloway was a fine value for a 3-and-D player who has been well worth that value in the final season of the deal especially. As noted here previously, this move forced the team into a hard-cap situation because they used more than the mid-level exception to go over the tax apron. This may be more than most general basketball fans understand about the salary cap but this is something the front office should be more than able to comprehend.
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This move had multiple adverse applications. Becoming a tax-payer for a team that would finish 39-43 and 41-41 before this season is ill-advised to say the least. This made it impossible to match offers for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Maxing him out may have been a mistake as well, but there is no reason to give up leverage in such a way. Finally, this further limited moves the Pistons could make over the coming seasons. Again, there is no excuse to force yourself into a hard-capped situation when you are a team stuck in the middle of the standings.
This is the perfect example of a situation where the contract fit the player but not the cap. Sometimes more big brain thinking has to be involved, as much as I love having Langston Galloway’s shooting and shoe game as part of the fandom.