What the Detroit Pistons need to do with Christian Wood in free agency

The Pistons’ offseason decision on whether to sign Christian Wood goes far beyond just their long-term plans.

After trading Andre Drummond for expiring contracts and buying out Reggie Jackson and Markieff Morris, the Pistons should have plenty of cap space to spend this offseason. Salary cap projections are tricky due to this year’s lost revenue, but if the cap remains at the same number as last year, the Pistons would have nearly $30 million to spend after renouncing free agent cap holds outside of Christian Wood.

Because Detroit only signed Wood to a one-year deal, they only hold Early Bird Rights on him, which allow them to offer a little under $4 million without dipping into their cap space. After Wood’s terrific season, it’s clear that he’s going to command far more than that.

So the question becomes: exactly how many years and how much money should the Pistons offer him?

Any answer has to be forward-looking given Detroit’s current circumstances.

They are nowhere close to contending. Rather, after trading away many of their best players, they’re essentially running out the clock on Blake Griffin’s albatross contract. Griffin accepting his player option next offseason is a stone-cold lock, so Detroit has two years to build a plan before a crossroads summer in 2022.

Wood seems to fit in that timeline nicely.

Despite his great success this past year, he still hasn’t shown it over a sustained period of time so handing him a blank check is not a wise move.

Yet a deal in the range of two years, $30 million would seem to make a lot of sense.

If Wood falls back to his old ways and can’t stay on the floor, a two-year contract won’t limit Detroit’s future plans in any significant way as the deal would come off the books at the same time as Griffin’s. And $15 million per year, while a bit of a high number, wouldn’t use up all their cap space. If the Pistons spent wisely elsewhere, they would still have the type of space necessary to take on a bigger contract or two in exchange for assets from a contender looking to unload one.

Having a dynamic pick-and-roll finisher could also prove dividends for Detroit in developing their young backcourt talent. Luke Kennard has shown flashes, Sekou Doumbouya needs a lot of reps, and the Pistons are likely to draft a point guard to help shape their future. Even if Wood isn’t a part of their long-term plans, it would be silly to dismiss his ability to serve as a stop-gap big who could benefit the younger players’ development.