New Orleans Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon. Matthew Hinton-USA TODAY Sports

Pistons have big plans for their glut of cap space

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Jun 29, 2024 4:21 PM ET

The Pistons may not be an attractive destination for free agents, but they have plenty of cap space to play with and are eager to use it.

Detroit declined Evan Fournier's $19 million team option on Saturday, a move that is not surprising. As a result, the Pistons will have roughly $50 million in cap space entering the offseason.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that new team president Trajan Langdon wants to use that space to take on bad contracts while accumulating future NBA Draft assets.

The Detroit Pistons are declining Evan Fournier's $19 million team option, sources tell ESPN. This opens up $50 million in cap room for the franchise. New President Trajan Langdon is eager to use the team's space to take on contracts with future draft assets.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 29, 2024

If done correctly, that strategy can be effective, as the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics have used it to land some high picks. Pistons fans will be frustrated that, thanks to their performance, they are already landing plenty of high-end draft choices, but the team is not close to contention.

Detroit is also trying to find a new head coach, with one leading candidate removing himself from consideration earlier this week.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: