While the NBA as a whole is expected to have a “crazy” summer, with lots of big name players on the move, those players will be moving via trades more than free agency. There is very little in the way of cap space and pure spending power out there. Only the Detroit Pistons and Brooklyn Nets figure to have significant cap space this offseason, and so it therefore matters to the league as a whole who they choose to target with it.
It is of note, then, that it seems Detroit is focusing on the centre spot. Marc Stein, esteemed author of The Stein Line, revealed in his latest round-up of NBA news that the Pistons had their eye specifically on a couple of floor-stretching fives.
âThe Pistons are among the teams with interest in [Minnesota] Timberwolves big man [Naz] Reid, league sources say,” Stein wrote on his newsletter. “Detroit is known to covet a floor-spacing big man and, according to sources, is likewise said to hold interest in Indiana’s Myles Turner.”
Eye On Two Modern-Style Centres
Turner has become one of the best floor-stretching bigs in the league. Years of criticism for not becoming the player it was thought he could be have, now that he is a ten-year veteran, given way to a greater appreciation of what he is. And as an elite shooter with rim protection, Turner embodies the modern-day five man.
On the season, Turner has averaged 15.6 points , 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.5 assists per game, shooting a career-best 39.6% on the all-important three-point attempts. His ability to space the floor on minimal dribbles contributes significantly to the incredibly well-oiled Indiana Pacers offensive machine . Having a front court pairing of he and the unguardable Pascal Siakam allows the Pacers to play with the pace and space that they do – and it seems the Pistons want to do much the same.
Similarly, Reid – who has improved throughout his career – has become a coveted offensive player. The undrafted free agent has now spent six seasons with the Wolves and has grown in importance the whole way, to the point that he was voted the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in the 2023-24 season.
Reid’s averages on the season of 14.2 points , 6.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists speak to the way he impacts any game he is in. In the vein of someone like Bobby Portis, Reid can shoot, drive, post and run, and a 37.3% career three-point percentage establishes his credentials as a floor-stretcher. Although improved defensively, he is not the rim-protector that Turner is – but on the flip side, this might make him cheaper.
Pistons Will Be Able To Outspend The Competition
With the lowest payroll in the league this season, the Pistons will have the ability to clear somewhere in the region of $18-20 million in cap space this offseason.
To do so, they will have to renounce Tim Hardaway Jr, Malik Beasley and the hugely useful Dennis Schröder, whose mid-season acquisition proved so useful down the stretch of the season. They would be significant departures. Yet doing so will allow the Pistons to spend beyond the value of the mid-level exception, which puts them in the strongest position on the open market.
The Timberwolves would love to keep Reid, and are said to be willing to be aggressive in retaining him . Their costs, however, are spiralling. Despite the Karl-Anthony Towns trade freeing up their salary picture somewhat, the Wolves are still going to be contending with the restrictive, punitive nature of the NBA’s salary cap aprons. As much as they might want to keep Reid, they might have to let him go.
Similarly, although Turner has been with the Pacers for a decade, the price of their ascendency to competitive is an enlarged payroll. Historically tax-reticent , they too have made noise to the effect that they are willing to stretch their financial limits to keep the band together, but the proof will be in the pudding.
Certainly, the Pistons can outspend both the Pacers and Wolves. What they cannot do at this time is outplay them. Despite the historic turnaround they enjoyed this year, the Pistons are still a couple of levels short of title contention, while the Pacers and Wolves have both made consecutive Conference Finals. They will be hoping that one of Reid or Turner will be convinced to join a younger team with big plans for the near future – and with a slight pay jump on top.
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