Detroit Pistons Make Final Decision on Two Players Before Free Agency
As the deadline to make decisions on players with options rapidly approaches, the Detroit Pistons are doing a clean sweep of their roster. First, Trajan Langdon opted to decline Evan Fournier's team option for next season. On Saturday afternoon, reports emerged that a pair of players will also be joining him on the open market.
The first player the Pistons opted not to extend a qualifying offer to is center James Wiseman. He spent just a year-and-a-half with the team after being traded from the Golden State Warriors in 2023.
Now an unrestricted free agent, the former No. 2 pick will look to keep his NBA career alive elsewhere. During his time with the Pistons, Wiseman posted averages of 8.6 PPG and 6.1 RPG.
The Pistons won’t tender James Wiseman a qualifying offer, sources told @hoopshype. The 23-year-old center, the No. 2 pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, becomes an unrestricted free agent. He played a career-high 63 games averaging 7.1 points and 5.3 rebounds in 17.3 minutes last season pic.twitter.com/ddGeDtwVkz
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) June 29, 2024
Not long after the reporting on Wiseman surfaced, more news regarding the Pistons' roster emerged. The front office also decided not to give Malachi Flynn a QO, meaning he'll be enetering free agency this summer as well.
The former first-round pick suited bounced around a lot last season, suiting up for three different teams. He landed in Detroit at the trade deadline from the New York Knicks as part of the Bojan Bogdanovic trade.
Flynn only ended up playing in 24 games for the Pistons, but made his presence felt. His most notable performance was when he erupted for 50 points and five assists off the bench in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
The Detroit Pistons won’t tender Malachi Flynn a qualifying offer, league sources told @hoopshype. The 26-year-old guard, who scored a career-high 50 points earlier this season, will become an unrestricted free agent. pic.twitter.com/0RTwPo5Ntc
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) June 29, 2024
Both young players who have shown promise in their early careers, there is a good chance Wiseman and Flynn wind up somewhere else in the league. As for the Pistons, they're set to enter free agency now with around $50 million in cap space at their disposal.
KEVIN MCCORMICK