Detroit Pistons: Two bargain centers to target in free agency

The Detroit Pistons are in unfamiliar territory without a dominant big man in the middle. This offseason they may look for bargains in NBA free agency.

It’s been a long time since the Detroit Pistons have entered free agency without a dominant big man of their own. For better or worse, Andre Drummond has been synonymous with the organization for most of the past decade. When free agency begins, however, thanks to a trade deadline deal, Drummond will be with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Pistons will have a gaping hole in the middle of the floor.

How they choose to fill that hole is anybody’s guess at this point. Whether they draft a center or acquire one through free agency or the draft, or whether Christian Wood is re-signed and plays center alongside Blake Griffin, it’s safe to assume that whoever it is will play a vastly different role than Andre Drummond did last season.

Two players who could contribute either as starters or off the bench are pending free agents Nerlens Noel and Willie Cauley-Stein.

Let’s take a look at what they could bring to the table.

NBA free agency target Nerlens Noel

Nerlens Noel is likely best known for being the man who turned down a four-year, $70 million contract offer from the Dallas Mavericks as a restricted free agent, thinking he could get more on the open market. As we know now, he could not, and it’s likely he’ll never recoup that lost salary.

He signed a minimum contract with the OKC Thunder in 2018-19 and then signed a one-year deal in 2019-20 for $2 million, but all along his production has been akin to what earned him that massive offer from Dallas. This past season he averaged 7.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steals in just 18.5 minutes per game for the Thunder.

Needless to say, he’s not a $70 million player and the Mavs dodged a bullet when he declined, but he can provide plenty of value as a rim protector and a roll and lob threat around the basket. In today’s NBA, that’s the best thing you can ask for from most non-elite centers, and it’s a bonus if you can get a player like Noel on a bargain contract in free agency.

NBA free agency target Willie Cauley-Stein

Last season Willie Cauley-Stein signed a bargain contract with the Golden State Warriors. The two-year, $4.46 million deal barely covered the cost of living in San Francisco, but he expected he was joining up with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green to win a lot of games. Instead, Curry got hurt, Green couldn’t be bothered to show up, the  Warriors lost way more than they won and he was traded at the deadline to the Dallas Mavericks.

The best-laid plans, as they say.

Anyway, Cauley-Stein has a player option that he will likely decline and enter free agency. Making more than the minimum will be a favorable outcome for him versus playing out that second year, so it’s a safe assumption.

Last season between the Warriors and the Mavs, Cauley-Stein averaged 7.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.1 blocks and 0.9 steals in 20.3 minutes per game.

Players coming off such low paying seasons generally aren’t in line for a big pay bump no matter where they sign, especially when they don’t have a fantastic season, so he will likely be available for a short-term team-friendly contract as he looks to play his way into a bigger payday down the road.

While Noel is likely going to be better value in the NBA free agency market, if the Detroit Pistons strike out on him, Cauley-Stein is a solid second option.