The NBA free agency is still continuing, with a few restricted free agents still waiting to be signed. The vast majority of business, however, has been done.
So far, it has been a largely quiet free agency. Without star-level players hitting unrestricted free agency, the market was tepid. One of the top free agents that had multiple reported suitors, including the Detroit Pistons, was Naz Reid.
Pistons Dodged a Bullet by Not Signing Naz Reid in FA
The Minnesota Timberwolves, who were obviously spooked by the possibility of losing their talented big man, re-signed Reid to a five-year, $125 million deal, including a player option for the fifth year. As important as Reid is for the Western Conference finalists, that is a serious overpay for a player who hasn't proven himself as a starter.
Reid is the third big behind Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert in Minnesota. He will likely not start barring a change in circumstances. Paying starter money (aka $25 million per year) for a player who isn't expected to start or close games is certainly not ideal.
This proves that the Pistons dodged a bullet by not signing Reid this summer. As one of the few teams with cap space in the offseason, Detroit was expected to pursue Reid, among other top free agents like Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
The Pistons may not have had the offseason the fans were hoping for, only landing Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson, while losing Malik Beasley, Dennis Schröder, and Tim Hardaway Jr., but things could have been much worse if they had overpaid Reid to this extent. Keeping their powder dry and maintaining financial flexibility going forward was the right move by GM Trajan Langdon.
Detroit still needs to add a backup power forward for next season and ideally find a long-term replacement for Tobias Harris as he ages out. Finding a better fit, on a more team-friendly deal than Reid, should be the goal for the Pistons during the season and next offseason.