The Detroit Pistons plan to sign 2021 No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham to a five-year, $226 million maximum post-rookie contract extension, according to The Athletic.
This move was expected and is now unofficially official. Roughly, the salary each year would look like the following:
- $38,775,000
- $41,877,000
- $45,979,000
- $48,581,000
- $52,183,000
Cunningham averaged 22.7 points, 7.5 assists, 3.4 turnovers, and 4.3 rebounds in his third season as a member of the Pistons.
After a promising rookie season that ended strong, Cunningham was limited to just 12 games in year 2, and clearly not 100% healthy, before being sidelined with an injury that eventually led to shin surgery.
The team’s commitment to Cade never seemed in doubt, and the franchise telegraphed its intentions to come to terms on a max extension once free agency was set to begin.
Cunningham is the foundational piece for a Pistons team deep into rebuilding, but early into a second phase of rebuilding under new president Trajan Langdon.
The question, as always, is what is best for CAde Cunningham. Langdon has indicated he’s interested in a commitment to developing the team’s young core, including and around Cade.
That means that the franchise won’t suddenly be turned into a contender in Year 1 of Langdon’s tenure. But Cade knew that. He’s either on board for the plan going forward or he’s signing onto the dotted line but will be ready to use his voice in guiding the rebuild or asking to be relocated to a more competitive position.
The Pistons have a little over $50 million to spend in free agency and plenty of questions about who might or might not fit best next to Cade.
You can pencil in Langdon’s first significant draft pick, Ron Holland, as a key piece. Another piece likely to be locked in long term alongside Cade is Simone Fontecchio.
Obtained in midseason trade with the Utah Jazz, Fontecchio is older, already 28, but the Pistons traded for his rights with the intention of locking him up on a multiyear deal that would take him through his prime. Fontecchio is the kind of big, rangy wing that can hit open 3s and won’t command too many possessions.
Other than those two, there are major questions among the rest of the team’s core in Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson, Marcus Sasser, and Isaiah Stewart.
The Pistons already added Tim Hardaway Jr. as a stopgap floor spacer on the wing to help create additional space for Cade to operate. But there is still plenty of work to do.
On a team with an endless number of questions, at least we have one answer. It’s Cade Cunningham, and he’s locked up long term. Now it’s time to build a team worthy of his talents and the team’s investment.