Post#80 » by DocRI » Tue Jun 6, 2017 10:53 pm
• The Detroit Pistons offer Jared Sullinger a two year deal starting at $1,178,992 (i.e. the minimum salary for a player with his years in the league). We're willing to guarantee 50% of this salary for each year and include a player option on the second season.
In other words, we're offering him the quintessential "make good" deal. We've always thought Jared Sullinger possess a rare and valuable skill set that will fit quite well as a rotational back up to, and sometimes front court partner with, Andre Drummond. But things have NOT gone well for Jared over the past year; some of those things (such as injuries) are beyond his control, but others (his work ethic and weight) are not. He needs to own that if he's ever going to turn his career around. He's been available since just after the trade deadline and no team took a flyer on him, so he needs to recognize that he needs to rehabilitate his reputation and prove he can still contribute to a winning team. We're willing to give him the chance to do just that. If he bets on himself, takes this offer, and proves he still belongs in the league, he can opt out next year and surely secure a much more lucrative contract. Otherwise, well ... the truth is that teams haven't been beating down his door since February, and he'll receive a real opportunity for minutes in Detroit (especially if we have to trade Boban Marjanovic at some point this season for salary cap purposes, which is a very real possibility).