Pistons: Grading all their moves during NBA free agency

Grading Pistons free-agency moves: Players re-signed

Frank Jackson

Frank Jackson hit restricted free agency after a surprising season and got a nice little pay raise. He signed a two-year, $6.5 million deal with a team option in the second season. Not bad for a player who signed a two-way deal with the Pistons in December. He was a flamethrower from long range last season and getting to play with Cade Cunningham might make him an even richer man after this contract is up.

Grade: A

Hamidou Diallo

Hamidou Diallo was acquired before the NBA trade deadline in exchange for Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk with the assumption that he would be a part of the Pistons’ long-term plans. Considering the fluidity of the Piston roster over the past year, that’s as good a guarantee as you’re going to see, and Weaver followed through after letting the restricted free agency process play itself out. Ultimately, Diallo signed a two-year, $10.4 million deal with a team option in the second season, which makes this a big win for a savvy front office.

Grade: A

Cory Joseph

Cory Joseph was acquired before the trade deadline from the Sacramento Kings along with a couple of second-round picks, and his contract was a certainty to be waived as a result of his low guaranteed cap number. He was great in his time with the Pistons, though, and was rewarded with a two-year, $10.06 million deal.

Grade: B+

Saben Lee

Saben Lee has already had a more productive NBA career than many second-round draft picks. After earning a two-way deal as a rookie last season, he signed a three-year deal worth $5.4 million, with a team option in the third year. For a 22-year-old point guard with plenty of potential, this is a nice mix of team control and a solid pay-day considering his draft pedigree.

Grade: B

Rodney McGruder

Maybe Rodney McGruder was too good for a team trying to rack up losses last season. His shooting numbers were incredible (53-46-75 splits), albeit in a small sample, and on a team with an occasional dearth of effective guards in 2020-21, it’s a bit surprising that he didn’t get more playing time. He only played 194 minutes in 16 games, and it would be silly to assume he’ll get more minutes on what should be a much better team next season, but he’ll be more ready than many 12th men to step in if needed. He re-signed with the Pistons, inking a one-year, $1.94 million contract.