In case you’re still wondering whether the Detroit Pistons will match whatever offer sheet Kentavious Caldwell-Pope signs in restricted free agency this summer, the answer is yes.
Caldwell-Pope has become their best player, and Stan Van Gundy, per ESPN.com’s Marc Stein, knows it:
Stan Van Gundy has openly scoffed at the suggestion that Detroit is looking to trade Reggie Jackson amid the disappointing Pistons’ 18-23 struggles. Yet there’s a growing impression around the league that, at the very least, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has moved past Jackson onto Detroit’s short list of untouchables, alongside Andre Drummond.
This doesn’t mean the Pistons are shopping Reggie Jackson. It’s been tough sledding for the Pistons since he returned from thumb and knee injuries, but he’s working through rust and coming off a 2015-16 campaign in which he established himself as a worthy starting point guard and floor-spacer. He’s also on a pre-salary-cap boom contract, and Detroit, after re-signing Andre Drummond and eventually doing the same for KCP, needs all the reasonably priced pacts it can get.
Still, the Pistons’ offense has become a virtual wild card, and the defense is suffering depending on the lineup combinations. Van Gundy has amassed a ton of talent on the roster, but much of its overlapping—particularly on the perimeter, where he has plenty of guys who need the ball in their hands to be most effective.
Caldwell-Pope is no longer one of those guys, per se. But Tobias Harris, Marcus Morris and even Stanley Johnson can all be thrown into that conversation. And it doesn’t help that Drummond appears to have peaked; he doesn’t have a profound impact on the team’s defense, according to NBA.com, and his post game, both as a passer and scorer, has not progressed.
Van Gundy will need to break up this core at some point and retool around a complementary nucleus. But he doesn’t seem like one to completely shift directions when his team still has a chance to make playoffs. It’s more likely he starts swinging his ax after the season has concluded, depending on how disappointing the Pistons end up being.
