Draft picks in June: No. 37 (via Toronto)
Free agents: Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr., Dennis Schroder, Paul Reed and Daniss Jenkins (R)
The availability of Cade Cunningham and the right roster construction around him has resulted in the former No. 1 pick becoming a first time All-Star and likely candidate for one of the All-NBA teams. After signing a rookie extension last July, Cunningham is under contract for the next five seasons.
Led by GM Trajan Langdon, Detroit made it a priority to complement its young players with veterans who can shoot in Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr., Malik Beasley and Dennis Schroder. The Pistons improved from last in 3-point shooting to a respectable 17th this season.
I know some fans point to DET as the type of success that POR could have next year & trading POR pick for veterans to fit around Deni\Camara but as much as I like Avdija, he is not a Cade Cunningham. If POR had a star player then this might be the avenue to look at, but they don't, at least not yet.
I do agree with adding shooting however, just not coming from Simons, whose size\defense and Iso ball are more detrimental than his shooting provides IMO
While Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson are all under contract next season, the Pistons are faced with a decision to retain their veterans. Schroder, Beasley and Hardaway Jr. are all free agents. The positive is that even with Year 1 of the Cunningham max extension set to begin, Detroit is well positioned financially to retain the three free agents or aggressively explore free agency and trades.
The Pistons could elect to act as an over the cap team if they bring back Hardaway and Schroder. In that scenario, Detroit would have the $14.1 million non-tax midlevel exception and $5.1 million biannual exception available.
The biggest hurdle: The Pistons' front office has to carefully weigh signing the team's free agents while also prioritizing future roster optionality and financial flexibility. Beasley finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting, played all 82 games and ranked third in NBA history in 3-pointers made off the bench. Since he has non-Bird rights, the maximum starting salary Detroit can sign Beasley to is $7.2 million. The Pistons could, however, use cap space or their non-tax midlevel exception to sign him to a greater first-year salary.
Ivey and Duren were both selected in the 2022 lottery. Now the two players are eligible up until Oct. 21 to extend their contract. While neither player will see a max contract in the early stages of free agency, both are worthy of new deals.
Two more players to monitor if (and what for) they sign new deals for.
TEAM NEEDS:
It depends on what happens in free agency with Schroder, Hardaway and Beasley. Of the three, Schroder is expendable with Ivey returning from his season-ending injury. However, if Hardaway and Beasley depart, the Pistons will need shooting to surround Cunningham. There is also the development of last year's lottery pick Ron Holland II, who shot 23.8% from 3.
DRAFT ASSETS:
For the first time since the 2020 offseason, Detroit has control of its first-round picks for the next seven years. Starting the night of the draft, the Pistons are allowed to trade up to four firsts and allowed to swap firsts in every season. They have 15 second-rounders available.
LA LAKERS
Draft picks in June: No. 55
Free agents: LeBron James (P), Jaxson Hayes, Dorian Finney-Smith (P), Alex Len, Markieff Morris, Jordan Goodwin (T) and Christian Koloko (R)
But as their lack of depth, size and late-game execution in the first round confirmed, the regular season is not the playoffs. President of basketball operations Rob Pelinka acknowledged when he traded for Doncic in February that the roster is far from a finished product. "We're going to build a roster that fits JJ Redick's basketball philosophy," Pelinka told reporters in February.
The Lakers enter one of the more pivotal offseasons in franchise history. The future of LeBron James is a focus for a second straight offseason. James has a $52.6 million player option and again can enter free agency. Doncic is not a free agent but is eligible to sign up to a four-year, $229 million extension on Aug. 2.
While re-signing the trio is the team's top priority, how Pelinka improves the rest of the roster is worth monitoring. If the trade deadline was any indication, expect the Lakers to get aggressive.
While the Lakers do not have cap space to sign free agent Myles Turner, for example, Los Angeles does have a 2031 first-round pick, five years of pick swaps, former first-round pick Dalton Knecht and over $70 million in expiring contracts (Reaves, Dorian Finney-Smith, Rui Hachimura, Maxi Kleber and Gabe Vincent) to use in a trade.
If James opts in or signs a new contract with a comparable starting salary, the Lakers will be $1.3 million over the luxury tax. They are $6.7 million below the first apron and will only have access to their $5.7 million non-tax midlevel exception. Because the Lakers are well below the second apron, they have flexibility to aggregate contracts in a trade.
Reaves' $13.9 million salary next season is below the non-tax midlevel exception...But the bargain contract also could play a role in Reaves deciding to become an unrestricted free agent in the 2026 offseason. Because of his team-friendly salary, the maximum extension the Lakers can offer is four years, $89.2 million. The first-year salary of $19.9 million is 140% of the average player salary, the maximum allowed under the CBA.
TEAM NEEDS:
A lob-threat starting center, frontcourt size and reliable rotation players. The Lakers ranked last in the playoffs in points in the paint and third worst in paint points allowed. The Timberwolves' bench outscored them by more than 16 points per game in the series.
DRAFT ASSETS:
L.A. owes Utah a 2027 top-four protected first-round pick and Dallas an unprotected first in 2029. The Lakers are allowed to trade one first-round pick in either 2031 or 2032. Los Angeles does have the right to swap firsts in five seasons (2026, 2028, 2030, 2031 and 2032) and have one second-round pick available to trade.
