Center Thon Maker will enter unrestricted free agency after the Pistons opted not to make him a qualifying offer ahead of his fifth NBA season, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. The decision means that Maker will bypass restricted free agency in the open market.
The 7′ Maker was drafted by the Bucks with the No. 10 pick in the 2016 NBA draft, one spot ahead of future All-Star center Domantas Sabonis, who was selected with the No. 11 pick by the Magic. Maker may struggle to match or exceed the $4,861,854 qualifying offer the Pistons declined on the open market.
The 23-year-old appeared in 60 games for Detroit, averaging 12.9 minutes a night. The Pistons’ free agent priority among their 2019/20 holdovers this offseason is expected to be starting big man Christian Wood.