Checking in on Detroit Pistons’ Cap Rank Before Heat Matchup

On Tuesday night, the Detroit Pistons are set to wrap up their mini-trip in Florida with a matchup against the Miami Heat.

At this point in the year, it’s evident the Pistons aren’t playing for anything significant outside of the NBA Draft Lottery. With a loss against the Orlando Magic over the weekend, Detroit once again failed to collect its tenth win of the year.

While they are no longer last in the Eastern Conference, the Pistons remain major underdogs against the 34-26 Heat on Tuesday night.

But the Pistons’ organization should be looking forward. Not only are they slated to land another high pick in the upcoming draft, but Detroit is expected to have a significant amount of cap space. As the Miami matchup approaches, let’s check in on the Pistons’ current cap rank.

Money to Spend

Putting together an outlook of each team in the league’s potential spending budget, Bleacher Report ranked teams based on their upcoming cap situation.

Coming in at second behind the Orlando Magic, the Pistons are projected to reach “about $60 million in cap room.”

“The Detroit Pistons have significantly underperformed based on expectations. After investing heavily in coach Monty Williams, the franchise may invest in more win-ready players this summer. Putting aside $4.1 million as a cap hold for Simone Fontecchio, Detroit could reach about $60 million in cap room. That assumes the team opts out of Evan Fournier ($19 million) and waives non-guaranteed players Shake Milton ($5 million) and Troy Brown Jr. ($4 million)—but even if they return, Detroit would have over $53 million still to spend.”

One of the moves mentioned above already happened, as Shake Milton and the Pistons agreed to part ways late last week. The other moves could very much be in play later on down the line.

After landing Cade Cunningham at No. 1 overall a few years back, the Pistons have struggled to build a contender around their young franchise player.

With another top pick at their disposal and plenty of cap space to work with in free agency, the Pistons have to start taking the necessary steps to turn things around. Fortunately, they look to be in a favorable position.