The Detroit Pistons are desperately trying to sign Jalen Duren to a new contract. While that remains the most important move left for them this offseason, they are also hoping to make more upgrades to the roster. They are currently $46 million under the luxury tax and have plenty of assets and flexibility, making them a potential suitor for a wide range of targets.
One of those targets is restricted free agent Bennedict Mathurin. Over the last few days, rumors have been circulating about Mathurin-to-Pistons scenarios.
Bennedict Mathurin is unlikely to give Pistons what they are looking for
ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel revealed in a recent episode of Clutch Scoops that the Pistons are interested in Mathurin and even had conversations with his camp in the Summer League. He added that Detroit isn't done yet and is still looking for ways to improve the roster before calling Mathurin "a guy they can buy low on." He then threw out a three-year, $30 million contract as a deal that could get it done for the Pistons.
In a vacuum, taking a chance on Mathurin makes sense. Especially if it's going to be a contract around $10 million per year, that is a worthy gamble.
In the specific context of the Pistons, however, it makes little sense. Mathurin is a good player, especially offensively. He is a very good scorer who can create his own shot. He gets to the rim at ease and lives in the free-throw line. He is an effective transition player who will average a lot of points for whichever team he plays for next.
For Detroit, his deficiency as a shooter would be a big problem. Mathurin has been a below-average shooter for his position ever since he came into the league. A career 33.6% shooter from downtown, Mathurin hit 20.7% of his threes for the Clippers after he was traded there at the deadline.
This makes him a poor off-ball player. He doesn't get guarded behind the arc, which cramps the spacing. For a team that already has multiple non-shooters on the floor at all times, Mathurin's presence will cause even more spacing issues.
Mathurin also does very little else outside of scoring. He rarely passes the ball and has more turnovers than assists in his career. Defensively, he has had his moments in Indiana, but has largely been inconsistent on that end of the floor. It's not a surprise that he saw his minutes reduced to 17.5 minutes per game during the Pacers' run to the NBA Finals in 2025.
The 24-year-old shooting guard is better suited to a team with lower aspirations. How good a fit Mathurin is on a team that is trying to win a title is unclear, and the Pistons would be wise not to take that chance.
The Pistons need more offensive firepower, to be sure. However, that doesn't mean that they should go after any scorer. They have to make sure the player they bring in doesn't create more issues than he solves.
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