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The brief, infuriating, and energetic era of Thon Maker is over in Detroit. In a move that won’t exactly surprise any non-Australian loyalist, the Pistons decided not to extend a qualifying offer to Maker, who would go on to become a restricted free agent.
By not extending the offer, the former 10th overall pick becomes an unrestricted free agent. The Pistons traded for Maker in 2019, taking a flyer about the big man in exchange for another disappointing Stanley Johnson lottery pick in a three-team deal with the Pelicans and Bucks.
It was an opportunity to see if the 21-year-old tall man could put everything together in a new team with a more cohesive role that the Bucks couldn’t play. While in Detroit, Maker proved in over 1,300 minutes that he certainly couldn’t.
His 3-point shot never really evolved, his defense never got past the spastic stage, and he could never take the kind of weight that would make him an achievable big man in the NBA.
While the move was expected, after a wave of moves to Detroit, it becomes important as the calculation space and salary cap tightens.
This decision frees up $ 4.8 million. Detroit would have paid Maker if he had accepted the Pistons’ offer to qualify.
As it stands, the Pistons appear to have a shade under $ 10 million with more moves expected as they work to transform their roster. It’s unclear if part of that transformation will involve the return of Christian Wood in a Pistons uniform.
Currently, the Pistons cannot offer a significantly higher salary than the mid-level exception that any team above the cap could offer. It would also prevent them from securing any assets for timber in any potential signing and trade.
There are several reports that the Pistons made a trade earlier Thursday for Dwayne Dedmon with the intention of then sending Dedmon back to another team. Dedmon has a salary of $ 13.3 million and another $ 13.3 million on the books next year, but with only $ 1 million guaranteed.
Dedmon came from the Hawks in exchange for Tony Snell and Khyri Thomas, who was later waived by Atlanta.
Looking at Detroit’s listing business assets with Dedmon, the Pistons have Trevor Ariza, Derrick Rose, and Blake Griffin. Everyone has already been traded or is a young player making a pittance compared to these veterans.
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