While most of the focus has been given to the Detroit Pistons' need to upgrade the roster next season, retaining their key contributors will be equally important.
The Pistons have three starters they need to give new contracts to. Jalen Duren is a restricted free agent. Tobias Harris is an unrestricted free agent. Both players will have plenty of suitors in the open market. Ausar Thompson is under contract for another season, but he is extension-eligible ahead of his fourth year in Detroit. It behooves the Pistons to keep him on a team-friendly deal to maintain some financial flexibility going forward.
Let's project what each of their next contracts look like.
Ausar Thompson
This new deal will kick in at the start of the 2027-28 season. It has a chance to be a great value deal for the Pistons or an albatross that prevents the Pistons from building a true title contender.
This will depend on the offensive improvement Thompson shows over the next year or two. The 23-year-old forward is already one of the best defenders in the league. His versatility, athleticism, and playmaking on that end are unmatched.
If he can't become a better on-ball creator or a shooter, however, Thompson's ceiling will be limited. So, the Pistons need to be prepared to play hardball with Thompson.
They should try to get him on a deal that doesn't far exceed $30 million annual value. Otherwise, there may not be too much upside in this contract, and it may be wiser to wait another season, as they did with Jalen Duren last summer.
Prediction: 5 years, $155 million
Jalen Duren
The most other teams can offer Duren this summer is a four-year, $177 million deal. So, that will be a starting point for the Pistons, especially now that Duren has made an All-NBA team.
With the All-NBA nod, Duren can earn up to a five-year, $287 million contract with the Pistons, which would start at $49.5 million next season.
After his playoff struggles, this would obviously be ill-advised. Therefore, the deal needs to sit between the $177 million he can get elsewhere and his max contract. A valuation of around $40 million per year seems fair. The lower the Pistons can get that amount, the more team-friendly that contract will look.
Prediction: 5 years, $195 million
Tobias Harris
The veteran forward exceeded all expectations during Detroit's playoff run. He was arguably the Pistons' second-best player after Cade Cunningham. As one of the only two-way players on the roster, Harris is a must-keep for the Pistons.
While Detroit has to make it a priority to re-sign Harris, they have to be smart about the extension. Harris turns 34 years old this summer, and the Pistons eventually have to find an upgrade at starting power forward. They must try to pay Harris like a high-level backup instead of a starter.
Given that Harris will have suitors at the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which is around $15 million per year, the Pistons should try to get him on a shorter deal that pays him between $15 million and $20 million.
Prediction: 2 years, $32 million
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