How much of Detroit Pistons failed rebuild can be salvaged? Trajan Langdon must decide soon
At last, the Detroit Pistons are close to officially hiring a new front office leader.
Now comes the hard part.
New Orleans general manager Trajan Langdon, expected to sign a deal as the Pistons' new head of basketball operations next week, is inheriting a team still presenting itself as rudderless after four years of maneuvering under GM Troy Weaver and five years of finishing as one of the five worst teams in the NBA.
The Pistons were rewarded with a franchise-worst 14-68 record despite drafting eight players in the first round (five in the lottery — top 14), completing more than two dozen trades, and last fall, projecting confidence the team was finally ready to take a step forward.
The rebuild needs to be rebuilt. Langdon will evaluate every aspect of the organization, including Weaver and the front office, head coach Monty Williams and his staff, and the roster.
Langdon's initial assessment will shape the rest of the Pistons' offseason, as well as the rest of his tenure. How much of what has already been built can be salvaged?
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Decisions on Weaver, Williams loom first
Nearly four years after he was hired in 2020, Weaver's time as the club's top decision-maker has come to an end. He delivered on some of the promises he made, despite the poor win-loss records.
The Pistons have six players 23 years old or younger on rookie deals, and around $64 million in cap space available this summer, the most of any NBA team. Isaiah Stewart's $15 million owed next season is the largest contract on the books. Their financial outlook is clean.
Weaver's reputation as a scout is one of several factors that made him an attractive candidate to the Pistons, and he avoided making the disastrous salary commitments that have tanked prior rebuild attempts. But his failures in free agency and the trade market are a big reason why the Pistons are where they are.
The Pistons still owe a future first-round pick to the New York Knicks thanks to the 2020 draft night trade for Stewart, the roster has been incongruent, most of Weaver's deadline trade gambles didn't pan out, and the reluctance to upgrade the talent last summer left the team uncompetitive.
How Weaver, 56, fits into the new regime, if at all, will be something for Langdon to resolve immediately.
Ownership is prepared to part ways with Williams, 52, according to sources, even though his deal still has $67.5 million guaranteed remaining. He signed a year ago on a six-year, $78.5 million contract with incentives (the biggest head coach contract in NBA history at the time).
Williams isn't responsible for the hand he was dealt roster-wise, but his resume thus far has little suggesting he's the right person for the job. The Pistons dropped 29 of their first 31 games, including an unfathomable in-season NBA record 28-game losing streak that prompted owner Tom Gores to speak just before Christmas, promising future change.
His hockey style approach to his substitutions, going deep into the young-and-inexperienced bench with five-player swaps even when opposing teams had multiple starters (including their best players) still on the floor, often left the Pistons at a disadvantage at the end of first quarters.
While Cunningham had a solid third season, Williams wasn't always sure how to properly utilize the other young players such as Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson and Marcus Sasser.
A first-year coach will have growing pains regardless of experience level. But the magnitude of the Pistons' struggles last season forces Langdon to consider if Williams' fit with the team is fundamentally flawed. A fresh voice may be necessary at every level of command.
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Sorting through roster will be difficult task
Cunningham, 22 and fresh off of the best season of his career, is now eligible for a rookie extension. He averaged 22.7 points, 7.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds while shooting 44.9% overall and 35.5% from 3, and his efficiency improved as the season progressed. After missing most of his second season campaign with a shin injury, the former No. 1 pick looked closer to the franchise player the organization needs.
He could sign a max extension worth up to a projected $224.9 million over five years an average of $45 million per season — a large sum of money for the best player on the NBA's worst team, but it could become a great value by its end as Cunningham improves and the NBA cap soars following the incoming new TV deal. Unlike Weaver, Langdon will have a jump start due to Cunningham already being on the roster. His extension should be a no-brainer for the Pistons. It's the rest of the roster that poses a challenge.
History shows teams as bad as the Pistons were last season rarely have more than two players worth committing to. The 2018-19 New York Knick went 17-65 and had just one player, De'Andre Jordan, who made an All-Star and All-NBA appearance in his career. Jordan was a midseason arrival and near the end of his prime.
Of the Knicks players on rookie deals that season, only Mitchell Robinson has been an effective starter. The rest of the group, including Kevin Knox, Frank Ntilikina, Dennis Smith Jr., Henry Ellenson, Emmanuel Mudiay and Luke Kornet, are bench players or have bounced in-and-out of the league.
Jae'Sean Tate, who started nine games for the Houston Rockets last season, is the only player remaining from their 17-55 team in 2020-21, which had an NBA-record 30 players over the course of the season. A year later, they drafted stalwarts Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green, and improved to 20 wins. The 17-win 2015-16 Los Angeles Lakers had Julius Randle and D'Angelo Russell. The 16-win 2014-15 Minnesota Timberwolves' best prospects were Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine.
The Pistons have more young players than they can, or should, sign long-term. Cunningham looks like he qualifies. Beyond him, Langdon will have to figure out quickly if there's at least one other young player they can win with in the future. Ivey and Jalen Duren are extension-eligible next summer, and Ausar Thompson and Marcus Sasser will qualify after 2025-26.
That's a lot of potential money to commit to a core that won fewer games last year than any of the teams mentioned above. Trading the Pistons' recent draft picks may seem like a non-starter to some, but the Pistons will have to be open to the idea if they want to make a swing in the trade market. They're limited by the NBA's Stepien Rule due to owing a future first, which weakens them compared to many teams in the market with a surplus of picks to deal.
Langdon doesn't have to make those trades this summer, but paying Cunningham north of $200 million with the intention to continue mostly building through the draft is bad business. They have to get better, as soon as they can, and their young core and the fifth overall pick June 26 in the draft are his best trade assets outside of Cunningham.
Something has to give. Langdon's first summer as head of basketball operations could be a gut job. The clock's ticking to put a competitive team on the floor.
Unlike Weaver, Langdon may not be afforded the same level of patience.
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Trajan Langdon must decide: How much of Pistons rebuild can be saved?
