The Detroit Pistons' season ended in heartbreaking fashion last night in Game 6 after Jalen Brunson drilled a game-winner over Ausar Thompson. This was a highly emotional and physical series that showcased to the world that the Detroit Pistons are an ascending team in the East.
As we pivot towards the offseason, Pistons GM Trajan Langdon must prioritize bringing back some of the team's key veteran players who are hitting unrestricted free agency.
1. Malik Beasley
The game ended last night after Malik Beasley fumbled a Cade Cunningham pass out of bounds on the last play of the game. It was a devastating drop given the fact that Beasley was wide-open for the game-tying three. One bad moment doesn't define a player's season, and Beasley should clearly be a top priority for Langdon.
Malik Beasley has been a bit of a journeyman fringe rotation player over the last few seasons for the Timberwolves and the Lakers, but he finally found a home here in Detroit. Beasley had a career year, shooting 42% from three while averaging nearly 17 points per game off the bench. He was nearly honored with the Sixth Man of the Year last week, finishing second in voting behind Payton Pritchard. Importantly, Beasley took steps on the defensive end of the floor, where he ranked in the 59th percentile of Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus, according to dunksandthrees.com, a career high.
In addition to all of the on-court success, Beasley fits the tough, physical identity that Bickerstaff is clearly trying to establish with this team. Beasley was outspoken with Knicks fans on Twitter all series long. He was also a pest on the court, not giving an inch to any of the Knicks' superstars on defense.
Beasley only made $6 million this year and is likely to command a price tag of somewhere in the range of $15-20 million after his career year shooting the ball. Beasley has made it clear he feels like Detroit is his home now, so Langdon must find a way to retain him this offseason.
2. Dennis Schröder
Two other veterans are hitting free agency from the Pistons rotation in Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dennis Schröder.
Schröder should be a guy Langdon seeks to retain, as he was truly impactful and fit like a glove with this Pistons team. Schröder was excellent defensively against Jalen Brunson in this series, but he also shot an outstanding 50% from three. Expect Langdon to keep Schröder as the backup point guard to Cade this offseason.
If the Pistons want to improve upon this season, they must balance keeping their core together while seeking new options to improve. I think Beasley and Schröder deserve to be back in Detroit next season, and Langdon would be wise to make an effort to keep them.
At the age of 33, I'm expecting Langdon to allow Hardaway to walk unless he is willing to sign for less than $10 million a year. He simply doesn't fit the timeline with Cade, Duren, and Ausar, and isn't as impactful as Beasley to justify shelling out big money to retain.