NBA Analyst Gets Critical of Ex-Pistons Player’s New Deal

Heading into the offseason, the Detroit Pistons had three key players hitting the free agency market in Tim Hardaway Jr., Malik Beasley, and Dennis Schroder.

There was a level of interest in retaining all of those guys, although bringing back two of them was the most realistic scenario for Detroit.

In the end, the Pistons moved on from all three. Hardaway signed a one-year deal to join the Denver Nuggets. Malik Beasley has been dealing with an off-court investigation, which has placed his contract discussions on hold just two days before free agency opened.

Dennis Schroder wanted to remain in Detroit, but those discussions broke down. Eventually, Schroder received an offer from the Sacramento Kings, and a sign-and-trade between the Kings and the Pistons took place.

Detroit loses Schroder, but the prominent NBA analyst Zach Lowe claims that isn’t exactly a bad thing, considering the amount of money Schroder will make off the Kings.

“They lost Schroder—wildly overpaid by the Kings—no clue what was going on with that contract,” Lowe stated.

Zach Lowe on the Pistons offseason

“I kind of like what they did and one of the reasons I like what they did. Is they lost Schroder, but They’re replacing him with a guy that I think is one of the most Intriguing and Important young players in the league in Jaden Ivey.” pic.twitter.com/JouYWP7SOs
— Pistons Talk (@Pistons__Talk) July 19, 2025

According to Spotrac, Schroder will make $44 million over three years with the Kings. He’ll be on that contract through his age 34 season, playing for his 10th NBA team.

Analysis of the Detroit Pistons’ Offseason

Not only does Lowe claim to like the idea of avoiding matching Schroder’s deal from Sacramento, but he claims that the Pistons had a solid offseason, even with all of the sudden obstacles getting in their way.

“They’re replacing [Schroder] with a guy that I think is one of the most intriguing and important young players in the league in Jaden Ivey,” Lowe continued.

“Ivey comes back from injury, becomes Dennis Schroder, although I think they are going to start Ivey, then stagger him with Cade. Caris LeVert replaces Hardaway Jr. Duncan Robinson replaces Malik Beasley. All the young guys get a year older. A year more of experience. I kind of think that is, at worst, a wash.”

Lowe is convinced the Pistons could be better in 2025-2026. They showed a substantial amount of improvement from the 2023-2024 NBA season last year. Now, they are looking to maintain their position as Eastern Conference contenders after clinching the sixth seed last season.

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