The 2019-2020 NBA season has been put on hold due to the coronavirus and for Detroit Pistons fans, all we really have to look forward to at this point is the NBA Draft and free agency.
Dana Gauruder recently published a piece with the Detroit Free Press which took a look at six free agents the Pistons should consider signing this coming offseason.
Here is a look at the six players Gauruder suggests the Pistons take a look at.
G Fred VanVleet, Raptors
He obviously has a history with Pistons coach Dwane Casey, who coached VanVleet during his first two pro seasons. Casey wants multiple ball-handlers on the floor, which would make VanVleet a great fit alongside Derrick Rose, Bruce Brown and Luke Kennard.
VanVleet made $9.3 million contract in 2019-20; he’ll get more than that in free agency. Whether the Pistons make a bid might depend on whether they draft a point guard.
C Montrezl Harrell, Clippers
Harrell, 26, has been the league’s top frontcourt reserve the past two years. On the star-studded Clippers, Harrell averaged 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds this season in 27.8 minutes a game despite just two starts.
Harrell would come with a pair of downsides, though: He doesn’t shoot 3-pointers and he might not be big enough, at 6-7, to play alongside Blake Griffin. Then again, many teams are going smaller these days. If the Pistons are unable to re-sign Wood, Harrell would be the next best option.
C Harry Giles, Kings
Giles has a history of knee injuries that have slowed his development. He missed the entire 2017-18 season after being drafted 20th overall in 2017 out of Duke. He has been a reserve in most of his 96 games with Sacramento over the past two seasons.
In 15.2 minutes per game, he averaged seven points and 4.2 rebounds with the Kings this season, though he had a seven-game spurt shortly before the hiatus in which he averaged 13.9 points and seven rebounds. Just 22, Giles could be a solid rotation player if his knees hold up.
C Jakob Poeltl, Spurs
Like VanVleet, Poeltl, 24, also played his first two seasons under Casey in Toronto. Poeltl, sent to San Antonio in the Kawhi Leonard trade, appeared in every regular-season game off the bench in his second year with the Raptors and averaged a career-high 6.9 points.
But his career has stalled in San Antonio, though, due to his offensive limitations. A reunion with Casey could be what Poeltl needs.
PG Kris Dunn, Bulls
The past three seasons have soured the Bulls on Dunn, 26, as their floor leader, though he still started 32 of 51 games this season before injuring his knee. Chicago could make Dunn a restricted free agent by extending him a $7 million qualifying offer, but that’s unlikely.
Dunn, a tenacious defender, might be worth a flyer if the Pistons don’t draft a point guard.
SG/SFÂ Jordan McRae, Pistons
The Pistons claimed McRae off waivers from Denver in early March, hoping to take a look at the 29-year-old swingman and see how he fit.
He appeared in four games with the Pistons before the hiatus but averaged 11.8 points in those games. McRae’s skill set as a scorer and playmaker could make him a valuable second-unit player, especially with Langston Galloway entering unrestricted free agency.
Nation, which of these players would you like to see in a Pistons uniform next season?
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