Pistons Make Strong Decision On Cade Cunningham's Future

Franchise Building Block

Cade Cunningham has agreed to a five-year, $226 million maximum contract extension with the Detroit Pistons. This deal is set to begin in the 2025-2026 season and represents the largest contract in franchise history. The extension is part of the rookie max contract scale, which allows teams to offer up to 25% of the projected salary cap to their standout young players.

The former No. 1 overall pick has made big strides since entering the league in 2021. He averaged 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game during his rookie season. Injuries derailed his sophomore season, limiting Cunningham to just 12 games due to a stress fracture in his shin. Then, he remained healthy last season, leading Detroit with 22.7 points and 7.5 assists to go along with 4.3 rebounds.

Cunningham also had the best shooting season of his young career, shooting 44.9% from the field and 35.5% on 5.4 attempts per game from 3-point land. Despite improvements in his game, the Pistons as a whole were atrocious last season. They went just 14-68 with a 28-game losing streak that spanned from October 30 through December 28. That streak set the record for the longest single-season losing streak in NBA history.

Rebuilding Time

Detroit made moves to bolster its roster in hopes of being more competitive in 2024-2025, bringing in J.B. Bickerstaff to take over as head coach and adding veterans Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Malik Beasley. While the moves are a step in the right direction, the organization still has a long way to go before it can be considered competitive.

The Pistons are tied with seven other teams at the bottom of BetMGM's NBA title odds board for next season at 1000-1. They're also 500-1 to win the Eastern Conference. That means their implied probability gives them a 0.1% chance of winning the title and a 0.2% chance to win the East.

Cunningham is certainly a player that you can look to bet on game-to-game, but you should not, under any circumstance, bet on Detroit to take home a championship.