The Detroit Pistons took some serious steps towards solidifying a young nucleus for the future of their franchise, so there might be some fans at the big arena.
On Wednesday, they traded Jerami Grant to Portland for a first round pick from Milwaukee that is protected. The Pistons have enough cap space to make a few moves or sign a max free agent this year. The move is a victory for the pistons.
Grant signed a 3-year $60 million deal with the Pistons after he was very good for the Denver Nuggets in the 2020 NBA playoffs. He averaged 20 points per game over the course of two seasons. He is a good player but not good enough for the Pistons to sign him to a five-year max.
The Pistons had their salary cap freed up and were going to have their fifth pick in the NBA draft. The player they wanted to pair with was Jaden Ivey.
The guard from Purdue was one of the best perimeter players in college basketball. He was on a team that was a favorite to win the national championship and became a clutch player. He hit the three that would have sent the game to overtime if not for Chucky Hepburn's pull-up three, which he faded out of bounds with. He took the last two shots of the game for the Boilermakers in the Sweet 16. He made a 3-pointer with eight seconds left to make it a one-point game. The game was tied when he came back down the floor and hit a three.
Cunningham showed in the second half of the season why he was the first pick in the draft. The Pistons had a great couple of days, but they weren't done. Duren was one of the players that they liked. He was the 6th ranked player in the country. He was a first-team All Conference selection after one season at Memphis. At the combine, Duren was measured at 250 pounds with a 7 foot-5 wingspan. The Pistons used the pick they got from the Trail blazers to get him.
Within 36 hours, the Pistons created a max salary slot and got two young talents to help their young team. Next season will feature a front court of Duren and Stewart. Maybe that money could go to Deandre Ayton.
The Pistons home arena has been hard to fill since several players left. This young group is going to be very fun to watch.
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