Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham. Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Cade Cunningham making it official with Pistons as Detroit's busy offseason continues

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Jul 9, 2024 6:07 PM ET

There were rumors all last week that former No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham and the team that selected him, the Detroit Pistons, had agreed on a rookie extension.

It made sense in both practice and in theory. Cunningham is clearly Detroit's best player, and he's expected to be the centerpiece of a rebuild that has now been put in place by new president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon.

The rumors were there, but it wasn't official yet. But now it is, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Pistons and Cunningham have agreed to a five-year, $224 million maximum rookie extension that could become worth as much as $269 million. There's an elevator in the contract that would bring the deal to 30% of the team's salary cap if the talented point guard makes the All-NBA team next season.

Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham has agreed on a five-year, $224 million maximum rookie extension that could become worth as much as $269 million, his agents Jeff Schwartz and James Dunleavy of @ExcelBasketball tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/5UHrrqPyRY
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 9, 2024

While this was expected news, it does mark a significant moment for the Pistons in their new era under Langdon and newly hired head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.

With a minimum annual salary of $44.8 million, that's a ton of money to shell out for one player. The Pistons, of course, must believe Cunningham is worth it, and as mentioned, it's not as if they have a ton of other proven assets to build around.

Still, for a player who has yet to make an All-Star team and has had somewhat of an injury history, the new braintrust in charge in Detroit is absolutely tying its fate to Cunningham.

Last season was his first fully healthy, and he averaged 22.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game. Langdon has already surrounded him with competent NBA talent this offseason — namely Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley — so there is a reasonable expectation that Cunningham should only get better in 2024.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

More must-reads: