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Athletic hatte die Tage einen netten Artikel dazu, quasi ein Gespräch von Hollinger und dem Pistons beat writer James Edwards.Bei Ayton bin ich irgendwie hin und hergerissen. Ist er es wirklich wert, mit einem dicken Vertrag die aktuell wirklich gute Cap-Situation zumindest einzuschränken?
Auf der anderen Seite wäre so ein Spielerprofil jahrelang nicht im Ansatz greifbar für die Pistons und ja, nächstes ist die FA deutlich attraktiver, aber es werden sich auch deutlich mehr Teams in Position bringen (können) als in diesem Sommer…
Gefühlt reizt mich einer wie Ayton und somit ein gewisser „Switch“ in den Win-Now Modus nach jahrelanger Bedeutungslosigkeit etwas mehr als weiter auf Talent-Entwicklung zu gehen und dieses Jahr wieder „nur“ die nächsten beiden Talente (falls man bspw. wirklich #7 für Grant bekommt) in den Roster zu holen - auch wenn es vielleicht der vernünftigere Weg wäre…
Finde es ganz schwer, sich da zu entscheiden. Da bin ich echt gespannt, wie Weaver hier vorgeht…
#InWeaverWeTrust
Ich kopiere mal paar Sachen raus für die Nicht-Abonnenten (kann die Seite nur empfehlen, gibt immer wieder 1€-Angebote pro Monat und wenn man kündigt, dann kommt was mit 3€ pro Monat oder so...)
Hollinger: Now, I think it’s more likely than not that he’s in a new destination next season, especially if the Suns can work out a sign-and-trade that brings back some value. For whatever reason, I don’t think Phoenix is totally comfortable going forward with him on a big-money deal, and I think Ayton might be okay with going somewhere else if he can have a bigger offensive role.
Edwards: As previously mentioned, I do believe that the Pistons will do their due diligence on Ayton and, if the price is right, be in the running to land his services. I don’t get the sense that they’ll break the bank for him, though. On the surface, do you like Ayton’s fit with the Pistons? Is there another team where you think he would fit better?
Hollinger: I do like the fit. First of all, the Pistons are in a position where they need high-level talent of any stripe in order to compete at a high level. Cade Cunningham is part of that solution and the fifth pick may net another player of that level, but Detroit is still at the stage where talent acquisition matters more than fit.
The issue I see for Detroit is that it likely will cost them something to pull off because Ayton is a restricted free agent. Even if Phoenix is reluctant to bring him back, the Suns are better off matching an offer sheet rather than letting him leave for nothing. On the other hand, a return in a sign-and-trade could reshape their roster in a way that keeps them below the luxury tax line and still allows them to compete next year. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to draw a throughline to Jerami Grant here.
Edwards: Last thing: I’m in the boat that the Pistons, while having a good amount of cap space, don’t need to use it all in free agency this summer. This class is blah. Jalen Brunson appears to be gone to New York or staying in Dallas. Zach LaVine isn’t coming to the Pistons. I don’t see Detroit pursuing Miles Bridges given the price he’ll likely command. The verdict is out on Ayton. I loved how Isaiah Stewart ended the season. Saddiq Bey is good already. Cade Cunningham is the face. A top-five pick is coming in.
I guess my question to you is, do you think the Pistons should feel pressured to make a big move this summer, like acquiring Ayton? I think the pressure to really turn a corner is a year away, personally.
Hollinger: I agree with you on the timing question. Detroit’s big push in the standings is likely to come a year from now, when the Cunningham-Bey-Stewart group has another year together, the fifth pick in 2022 has a full year under his belt and the Pistons will be sitting on a huge trove of cap space.
On the other hand, I don’t see how turning Grant into Ayton hurts any of those approaches, except to the extent it leads to a worse 2023 first-round pick. Grant is on an expiring deal, his value will never be higher, and he’s going to want a salary that may be a bit out of line with his actual standing in the league. Detroit’s cap situation is so clean that a max salary acquisition this year wouldn’t block them from doing it again next year; Cunningham is the only player guaranteed more than $10 million in 2023-24.
Given the difficulty, in general, of getting any big-name players to Detroit in free agency, and the rarity of good young players of any stripe becoming free agents at all, I do think it behooves the Pistons to explore all their options on Ayton. You’re correct that they don’t have to do this, and there should be a price point in sign-and-trade talks where they’re willing to walk away. That said, this opportunity isn’t necessarily going to come up again in the horizon of the next two to three years.
Deandre Ayton will likely move this summer. Would he fit with Pistons? What would it take?
Analyzing a potential deal and fit between the Suns, Deandre Ayton and the Pistons.
theathletic.com