[Wojnarowski]: Cunningham Extends In Detroit (5/$224)

[bondom34]

Read on Twitter

[Colbinii]

Cade to Detroit: "Look at Franz"

[BK_2020]

Cue the posts crying overpay and the team should have forced Cunningham to get a contract then match.

[KembaWalker]

No choice really, just have to hope he takes a step or 3

[Colbinii]

No choice really, just have to hope he takes a step or 3

He was pretty incredible for the 2nd half the season after the rotation improved and more spacing on the roster was being utilized.

26 Games
22/5/8 with 2.9 TO
45/39/87 shooting splits

The talent is there. The on-court play has been there [albeit inconsistent]. I doubt he needs to take any major steps other than being more consistent.

But hey, just like Charlotte players, he is underrated, right?

[GreekAlex]

No choice really, just have to hope he takes a step or 3

He was pretty incredible for the 2nd half the season after the rotation improved and more spacing on the roster was being utilized.

26 Games
22/5/8 with 2.9 TO
45/39/87 shooting splits

The talent is there. The on-court play has been there [albeit inconsistent]. I doubt he needs to take any major steps other than being more consistent.

But hey, just like Charlotte players, he is underrated, right?

I just hope he can consistently play more than 70 games per season and shoot above 36% from 3.

[KembaWalker]

No choice really, just have to hope he takes a step or 3

He was pretty incredible for the 2nd half the season after the rotation improved and more spacing on the roster was being utilized.

26 Games
22/5/8 with 2.9 TO
45/39/87 shooting splits

The talent is there. The on-court play has been there [albeit inconsistent]. I doubt he needs to take any major steps other than being more consistent.

But hey, just like Charlotte players, he is underrated, right?

Well, the difference in the Bridges thread is that people are judging a players bad stats as a 1st option and then complaining even though he’s getting paid like a 3rd/4th option. Cades looks similarly like a guy that needs to be a 2nd or 3rd option and he’s getting paid like a 1st option

But really you don’t have a choice on this contract so doesn’t really matter how anyone feels about it

[Colbinii]

No choice really, just have to hope he takes a step or 3

He was pretty incredible for the 2nd half the season after the rotation improved and more spacing on the roster was being utilized.

26 Games
22/5/8 with 2.9 TO
45/39/87 shooting splits

The talent is there. The on-court play has been there [albeit inconsistent]. I doubt he needs to take any major steps other than being more consistent.

But hey, just like Charlotte players, he is underrated, right?

Well, the difference in the Bridges thread is that people are judging a players bad stats as a 1st option and then complaining even though he’s getting paid like a 3rd/4th option. Cades looks similarly like a guy that needs to be a 2nd or 3rd option and he’s getting paid like a 1st option

But really you don’t have a choice on this contract so doesn’t really matter how anyone feels about it

I think Cade projects to be a weak #1 option or strong #2 option. 22 Points and 8 assists is indicative of a 1st option.

How likely is it Cade becomes a Top 15-20 first option? Not likely. He is sort of in that LaMelo Ball and Jalen Williams camp where he doesn't score well enough to be a #1 option but also really needs the ball in his hands since he is a good passer and playmaker.

Like I have been saying, if you are either a Top 50 player or have all the tools to be a Top 50 player, you are going to get the Max.

[Snakebites]

It shouldn't be a controversial take that this is a contract for a guy who's yet to have a season where he was worth anything close to that.

They're definitely taking a leap of faith here. I don't think it's the wrong move but we do have to call it what it is.

[Colbinii]

I don't think it's the wrong move but we do have to call it what it is.

A foregone conclusion over the past 4 months? Certainly.

[TPA]

How often is a top 50-ish player coming off of his rookie deal NOT getting a max extension?
Add in the recent history of the Pistons franchise, and how abysmally they've operated during Cade's time; you have to believe that with better coaching and a complimentary roster, there are imminent levels of improvement to be realized.

[gswhoops]

Yeah this was a foregone conclusion. There was no way Cade would have taken less and no way Detroit was going to risk letting him break out and then hit free agency.

Time will tell whether Cade makes this worth it or not.

[Colbinii]

How often is a top 50-ish player coming off of his rookie deal NOT getting a max extension?
Add in the recent history of the Pistons franchise, and how abysmally they've operated during Cade's time; you have to believe that with better coaching and a complimentary roster, there are imminent levels of improvement to be realized.

How many Top 50-ish players are there? 100?

[Billl]

No brainer for a rebuilding team. Gotta lock up your young star.

And sure, criticisms of cade are valid. He's got stuff to work on. It's all headed in the right direction though - scoring, assists, shooting percentage from 2,3, and FT. He's sitting at 23/7/4 on 45/36/87 splits. And he's only 22, so it's easy to project some stead improvement for several more years. As the team adds some more scorers, that 3 point % and volume are going to be important.

Biggest concerns are staying healthy and conditioning. He's being asked to do a lot, and when he wears down, his fg% and defense go down and his turnovers go up. And of course, injury risk goes up.

[TPA]

How often is a top 50-ish player coming off of his rookie deal NOT getting a max extension?
Add in the recent history of the Pistons franchise, and how abysmally they've operated during Cade's time; you have to believe that with better coaching and a complimentary roster, there are imminent levels of improvement to be realized.

How many Top 50-ish players are there? 100?

I guess that depends on what your criteria is.
In my thinking, if there is a re-draft of every single player in the NBA by GM's, Cade would be selected closer to 50 than he would be 100.

[JustBuzzin]

I could have sworn this dude was drafted last year.

[Snakebites]

I could have sworn this dude was drafted last year.

Feels that way because he missed basically his entire second season.

[HornetJail]

It shouldn't be a controversial take that this is a contract for a guy who's yet to have a season where he was worth anything close to that.

They're definitely taking a leap of faith here. I don't think it's the wrong move but we do have to call it what it is.

most reasonable take on the subject. my belief is that MAX contracts should be reserved for all-stars, rather than virtually unproven talents. he absolutely *could* live up to the contract, but why not let him prove it next season? That's what restricted free agency is for. you lose no money if he does take the massive leap to stardom, and there's really no way for him to leave if you pay him what he's worth at that time.

If he doesn't actually make a noticeable improvement, you've just handed superstar money to at best a top 70 player.

I'll give Cade this, he's closer to stardom than Franz Wagner anyway

[tiderulz]

He was pretty incredible for the 2nd half the season after the rotation improved and more spacing on the roster was being utilized.

26 Games
22/5/8 with 2.9 TO
45/39/87 shooting splits

The talent is there. The on-court play has been there [albeit inconsistent]. I doubt he needs to take any major steps other than being more consistent.

But hey, just like Charlotte players, he is underrated, right?

Well, the difference in the Bridges thread is that people are judging a players bad stats as a 1st option and then complaining even though he’s getting paid like a 3rd/4th option. Cades looks similarly like a guy that needs to be a 2nd or 3rd option and he’s getting paid like a 1st option

But really you don’t have a choice on this contract so doesn’t really matter how anyone feels about it

I think Cade projects to be a weak #1 option or strong #2 option. 22 Points and 8 assists is indicative of a 1st option.

How likely is it Cade becomes a Top 15-20 first option? Not likely. He is sort of in that LaMelo Ball and Jalen Williams camp where he doesn't score well enough to be a #1 option but also really needs the ball in his hands since he is a good passer and playmaker.

Like I have been saying, if you are either a Top 50 player or have all the tools to be a Top 50 player, you are going to get the Max.

is it though? there were 27 players that averaged 22 ppg last year. there were 10 players that averaged 22 ppg 10 years ago. The game has sped up, more players are scoring high amounts, but they arent necessarily better players. I dont think you can look at ppg now as a final indicator on whether a player is a #1 option or not.

[BK_2020]

It's a 25% rookie max. Not all max is the same. He will get the 30% regular pre-10 year vet max only if he makes an All-NBA team, at which point a 30% max is well worth it.
The average NBA payroll next season right now is 149.5 mil. You can easily fit three x 25% max and still have almost 50 mil. to pay 12 more players. It's just not realistic to expect only 30 all-star players to get a max contract.