Cade Cunningham Signs Five-Year Max Contract Extension With Detroit Pistons
While the Mike Boynton era is over in Stillwater, one of his former players is continuing to thrive in the NBA.
A former top recruit in college basketball played his lone season at the collegiate level in an Oklahoma State jersey -- with that player being Cade Cunningham.
Since starring in Stillwater for one season, Cunningham has shown plenty of promise at the NBA level. Through former No. 1 overall picks three seasons, Cunningham has averaged 20 points per contest, doing so through 128 games -- all of which have been starts. He was only able to play 12 games during his sophomore season, so he's been unable to completely show his full potential.
On Sunday, as the free agency period opened, Cunningham negotiated a five-year, $236 million contract extension, the maximum for a rookie. Being drafted by the Detroit Pistons in 2021, the team now has their building block as there is plenty of question as to the rest of their young core.
The Detroit Pistons plan to sign Cade Cunningham to a five-year, $226 million maximum rookie extension, sources tell me and @JLEdwardsIII. pic.twitter.com/Zu828t1jNe
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2024
Now, the Pistons have been rebuilding for quite some time. They're still quite a few paces behind in the roster-building aspect of things, but that could be accelerated should they choose to let Cunningham remain the centerpiece of the franchise.
Cunningham, who, as mentioned, was a top recruit in the 2020 class, was landed by Boynton, who is no longer with the program. He averaged 20.1 points per game in 27 contests as a member of Oklahoma State's basketball team. He helped the Pokes to the NCAA Tournament, too, also averaging 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
While the Cowboys could have gone further in the postseason that year, they ultimately fell short, but his time in Stillwater is still incredibly memorable as it led to him being the top selection in the 2021 NBA Draft.
READ MORE: Mike Boynton's First Season Sets the Blueprint for Steve Lutz
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Kade has been covering a wide variety of teams ranging from the NFL to the NBA and college athletics since joining Sports Illustrated's On SI in 2022