Pistons Ponder Plenty of Options

Pistons ponder plenty of options
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News
Auburn Hills -- The NBA silly season, already under way, will kick into high gear this week.

The NBA Draft is Thursday, then July 1 teams can start courting and negotiating with free agents, though they can't sign any until July 7.

It's called the silly season because of the wild and incessant rumor mongering it spawns. The Pistons, because they have four draft picks, a roster in flux and more available salary cap space than most, are caught in the vortex of it all.

If you believe all the Internet reports, the Pistons have interest in just about every top-level free agent available and have made monetary promises to a few. If you believe Internet reports, the Pistons are trying to trade Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and their first-round draft pick (No. 15). If you believe Internet reports, the Pistons have made verbal promises to at least two players to take them at No. 15. If you believe Internet reports, the Pistons are looking to acquire another first-round draft pick, later in the first round.

None of the above is true.

Pistons president Joe Dumars said Saturday there was "no chance" he was looking to trade his first-round pick. Nor was he looking to trade for an additional first-round pick. No promises or guarantees have been made to anybody.

Dumars also said he was not looking to trade Hamilton or Prince, though, as he has stated numerous times since the end of last season, nobody is untouchable. If the right proposal came along, Dumars wouldn't hesitate to trade either player, or the No. 15 pick. The key distinction is, he's not shopping them. He's not actively searching for ways to trade those two players or his pick.

Clearly, though, the next few weeks are going to be critical for Dumars as he tries to rebuild the Pistons. The draft will be only a small part of the rebuilding plan. The major reconstruction will be done through free agency and trades.

The draft

Besides the 15th pick, the Pistons also have three second-round picks (35, 39, 44). Ideally, the Pistons would like to use two of those picks on players they can stash in Europe for a couple of years.

Overall, this is considered a weak draft by the consensus of scouts and general managers. After the No. 1 pick, Blake Griffin to the Clippers, there are no projected stars. But there are, at least to Dumars, a good crop of NBA-ready players.

As he told Pistons.com, "I think were in position to get a good player. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and we like the guys in the 10-to-15 range. These particular guys may not be guys you project as stars, but you can still project them as really good players.

"Our job is to continue to add talented players to the roster. Were going to be in position to do that at the 15th pick."

Through the work of vice president of basketball Scott Perry and director of player personnel George David, the Pistons have a list of about six or seven players they would consider should they fall to No. 15.

That list most likely includes (but is not limited to): Terrence Williams, 6-foot-6 shooting guard, Louisville; Earl Clark, 6-10 small forward, Louisville; Austin Daye, 6-11, small forward, Gonzaga; B.J. Mullens, 7-1 center, Ohio State; James Johnson, 6-8 power forward, Wake Forest; DeJuan Blair, 6-6 power forward, Pitt; and Ty Lawson, 6-1 point guard, North Carolina.

"We've targeted four or five guys we like and were hoping we can get one of these guys," Dumars told Pistons.com. "Whoever we get, we think, is going to upgrade our talent base."

Free agency

The official salary cap won't be set until the first week of July, but with $41 million worth of salary commitments for the 2009-10 season, the Pistons expect to have no less than $17 million of available cap space to work with.

Only Memphis and Oklahoma City will have as much.

To get to the $17 million number, though, the Pistons will have to renounce free agents Rasheed Wallace and Allen Iverson. They could re-sign Wallace, but that does not appear to be the plan.

The Pistons also stand to lose Antonio McDyess to free agency. Because he was traded, bought out and re-signed last season, the Pistons do not own his Larry Bird rights. He is an unrestricted free agent.

On top of that, they are waiting to hear from center Kwame Brown, who has until June 30 to pick up a player option for $4 million next season. The Pistons expect he will exercise his option and return, but if he doesn't, they gain an additional $4 million in cap space.

Given all of those factors, the priority will be to sign a young, top-tier power forward. Carlos Boozer, 27, is expected to opt out of his contract with the Jazz. If he does, he most likely would be the Pistons' first option.

Paul Millsap, 24, a restricted free agent in Utah, would be another option.

The Jazz, most likely, won't be able to keep both and re-sign center Mehmet Okur.

The Pistons also have some hope of re-signing McDyess, though they acknowledge that he is expected to be courted by several contending teams (Boston, Cleveland, San Antonio).

The Pistons also need perimeter scoring help and it appears the primary target will be Bulls shooting guard Ben Gordon.

But there are too many unknown variables at this point to accurately define what Dumars' plan might be beyond those obvious primary targets.

Keep in mind, too, that having a lot of cap space facilitates trades as well as signing free agents. If a cash-strapped team is interested in trading off a high salary, the Pistons are one of the few teams that can accommodate it. That's how the Clippers acquired Marcus Camby from Denver last season.

It's all muddled and murky right now, but a gradual clearing will take place over the next few weeks. By the middle of July, the Pistons' new design model should be taking shape.

chris.mccosky@detnews.com (313) 222-1489