NBA Rumors: Pistons Willing to Take on Bad Contract for Draft Capital

Pistons maintaining financial flexibility in hopes of landing more draft assets.

Oct 2, 2023; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon speaks during Media Day at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Coming into the summer, the Detroit Pistons had some of the most cap space at their disposal among the 30 NBA teams. Instead of aiming for a home run move in free agency, they've opted to maintain financial flexibility with a clear goal in mind.

Seeing that their core is still in the early stages of development, Trajan Langdon used some of the Pistons' cap space to bring in complementary veterans on short-term deals. These additions will aid them in becoming more competitive while also not hamstringing them financially.

Heading into the regular season, the Pistons still have about $11 million in open cap space. According to Spotrac's Keith Smith, this was done purposely. Detroit is reportedly aiming to take on contracts in exchange for draft compensation.

Related:

The Detroit Pistons have an open roster spot and are sitting on $10.2M in cap space. Detroit has let teams know they are open to eating smaller salaries, provided they come with draft pick compensation, a league source told @spotrac. https://t.co/sVZTfroE0l

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) October 19, 2024

This approach is nothing new, as it's a common practice from young rebuilding teams. The OKC Thunder have made deals like this on numerous occasions, and it has resulted in them building a war chest of assets.

For the Pistons, this is a smart plan for Langdon and the newly-formed front office. The roster still has some time before it really starts to get expensive. If they're going to take on bad money in order to stockpile picks, now is the time to do so.

A move like this is one of many impressive adjustments Langdon has made since taking over as President of Basketball Operations. Loading up their asset pool now could pay huge dividends in the short or long term. For now, all the Pistons can do is wait for a desperate team in need to shed salaries to come along.