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Scotto: Looking ahead to the offseason, Detroit could have up to $60 million in cap space if they decline Evan Fournier’s team option and let go of Troy Brown. Everyone is looking for them to do what the Houston Rockets did a summer ago and spend all their cap space available. From what I’ve heard, plan A is not to go the Houston route and spend all the cap space money they have in free agency.

There’s a possibility Detroit will look to sign a free agent like Tobias Harris or Miles Bridges, two guys that will certainly be on their radar heading into the offseason, and then use the remaining cap space to potentially acquire a player in a trade. Whether it’s Detroit or other teams around the league, they’re all monitoring playoff teams that fail to meet expectations and could either make a change to shake things up or a star player on one of those teams becomes disgruntled and wants out.

Edwards: That’s definitely something I’ve heard and written about. Now, does that change depending on who comes in? It could change, but I was under the impression they would look hard at two of the guys you named. I could even see Nic Claxton. I think they were going to go the trade route and try to add talent that way.

They’re going to have a Top 5 pick, which could become No. 1 in the draft. I don’t think you’re beating yourself up if you move out of one of those slots. They have a lot of young guys already. I think they’re at the point where they might have to move some of the young guys they have because of the situation they find themselves in.

I think they could do a significant roster overhaul through a combination of trades and signing B-level talent in the offseason. I know the notion in Detroit (from fans) is that if they sign Tobias Harris, they’re going to give him a max, and I’m not sure that’s the case. I think you could give him bigger money, but shorter years, which would allow him to go out into the market one more time to try and get more money. I don’t think they’re going to max anyone they bring in during free agency.

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Scotto: That’s a great point you made. We saw Houston do that with Fred VanVleet, where they increased his average annual salary on a short-term deal. It certainly could make sense for Tobias Harris and Miles Bridges. Aside from those guys, I believe this is the fourth consecutive season Detroit has ranked in the bottom 10 in 3-point shooting. Do you see them going out and adding shooters, whether it’s Malik Monk or Buddy Hield?

Edwards: I definitely think they should. I know that they tried to do that last summer by trading for Joe Harris and Monte Morris. Monte ended up not being able to play until game 42 or something like that because of various injuries. Harris struggled to get into the rotation even when he was healthy. They didn’t really get the development from certain players within the roster outside of Cade Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart. Everybody else stayed the same or got worse. As much as I love Ausar Thompson and believe he’s going to be a really good NBA player, his shooting is nowhere where it needs to be.

They needed to add 3-point shooting and did so at the deadline with Simone Fontecchio. I think there’s no question he’s back next year, regardless of who’s running the show. He checked a lot of boxes. They have to go out and get more 3-point shooters. Malik Monk is someone I wouldn’t be surprised if they target in free agency. I would monitor teams like Brooklyn and Atlanta, who I think are at a crossroads and fit a lot of the archetypes that Detroit needs. I think there are going to be a lot of bad teams in the NBA next year, as the 2025 draft is expected to be pretty stocked with high-end talent.

I think the Pistons could capitalize with their cap space and the assets they have and maybe bring in three or so legitimate NBA rotation guys via trade. I’d imagine the majority of those players would have to be able to knock down threes.

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Scotto: James, you mentioned Nic Claxton among some potential candidates. I recently did a Nets podcast, and Brian Lewis of the New York Post thinks there’s over a 50 percent chance he stays in Brooklyn. As I was looking at the market for free agents, Detroit wasn’t necessarily one of the teams I was looking at for Claxton because they have Jalen Duren. What makes you say that when they have Duren there?

Edwards: I think one of the biggest issues for the Pistons this year was a lack of rim protection. For all of the upside Duren has as a guy who’s already an elite rebounder at 20 years old and has good touch around the rim with some playmaking stuff here and there, he’s really got to improve defensively. I think it goes back to what I said at the top of the podcast where I think the situation Detroit finds itself – and where it’s gotten worse every year of this rebuild – is there’s pressure to be better sooner than later. I don’t think they have the luxury of what most rebuilding teams do, which is to let their guys develop. I think Nic Claxton would definitely check a box, which Detroit desperately needs checked, which is interior defense. Isaiah Stewart is a really good defender in space and on the perimeter. He isn’t a bad rim protector either, but they need somebody there next to him or a primary option at center since Isaiah moved to the four spot more. I’m not saying that Duren is gone. I just wonder if they bring him along slowly and bring somebody in who’s a definitively pretty good defender. In Claxton’s case, that phrase would be doing him a disservice. He’d be a lob threat for Cade Cunningham, too.

Scotto: There’s always been this range that Nic Claxton would cost around $20 million. If you’re Detroit, I’d think you have to probably overpay a little to be in the conversation.

Edwards: Maybe you work out a sign-and-trade deal. If I were Brooklyn, I’d seriously consider a rebuild of sorts after this season and with the draft coming up.

Scotto: They’ve been positioning themselves for a reset in 2025. Noah Clowney came on late at the end of the year, but they view him as a four next to Claxton at the five, who they want to keep long-term. The Nets don’t want to lose Claxton as an asset for nothing.

By the way, we’re talking about all this with the notion that the Pistons are going to decline almost a $20 million team option on Evan Fournier. Is that the same presumption you’re operating under?

Edwards: Yes.

Scotto: I just had to make sure.

Edwards: I haven’t really asked if that was what the situation would be there because I’ve assumed the answer would be yes.

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Edwards: I’d assume so. Again, things are in limbo because we don’t know who’s going to be making the calls as they’re in the early stages of a Preside of Basketball Operations hire. At the end of the day, they need to get more high-end talent. Zach LaVine would answer that question. I wouldn’t rule it out, but I don’t want to say for certain that’s something the new President will entertain because I don’t know who that new person will be. In theory, you’d think they’d explore all options if somebody of his caliber is available. I don’t know for sure if there will be as serious of interest as there was at the trade deadline.

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Scotto: James, you wrote a piece on The Athletic, including five guys to keep an eye on as the next Pistons executive. Jon Horst, Neil Olshey, John Hammond, Bryson Graham, and Dwane Casey.

Edwards: Bryson Graham from New Orleans is someone I feel would be more primed if they were going to replace Troy Weaver as general manager.

Scotto: Graham has a close relationship with Monty Williams. Horst had been floated out there by some people around the league for the past couple of weeks speculatively, because there’s a lot of uncertainty in Milwaukee right now. The window for a championship is closing somewhat rapidly.

Edwards: There’s finger-pointing and a revolving door with coaches.

Scotto: Doc Rivers got there and acted like it was going to be like climbing Mount Everest of a task. Don’t even get me started.

Edwards: Insane when you already have Giannis and Dame Lillard.

Scotto: To start his tenure by saying how hard it is when you’ve got two Top 75 all-time players, and I guarantee you they’re higher than 75 on that list. You’re in the East, and pretty much Boston is the only team that’s really the top team that you’re saying you have to go through. I didn’t like that mindset at all.

For the Bucks, Khris Middleton is a great guy and a good player, but not the All-Star he was because injuries have limited him a little bit. Brook Lopez is still a really good player, but he’s not getting any younger. I know they call Giannis the “Greek Freak,” but this could be the playoffs where the injury bug finally gets him. You’ve got Lillard, who wanted to go to Miami and didn’t end up there. He ends up in Milwaukee, and he’s dealing with all this and stuff personally outside of basketball in his personal life. It just seems like maybe for Horst that they already won a championship, and does it make sense to have a fresh start and maybe get a long-term contract and some big bucks?

Edwards: Another caveat is that Horst is from Michigan.

Scotto: James, you also mentioned John Hammond. I think they’ve got a great thing in Orlando, and they’re still on the rise. John has some Pistons ties, but if it’s me as an older guy, I’m enjoying the sunny weather in Orlando with my team on the rise. I understand why you mentioned Dwane Casey. I think that’s much more of an outside shot, though. Neil Olshey, I’ve heard from other executives, is trying to get back in the game. He also has a connection to Arn Tellem. I get the plausibility of it, but I’d rank Horst at No. 1.

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Edwards: I think if Monty Williams is the coach next year, there’s a good chance Bryson Graham is working for Detroit. Obviously, that’s a big if as to whether Monty is back.

Scotto: You said it’s a big if. Monty just signed a contract to be the highest-paid coach when he signed his deal.

Edwards: They just won 14 games, which is worse than last year without Cade Cunningham.

Scotto: I hear you, but that’s a lot of money. What are they doing with that? They’re just going to fire him and eat all that money? I understand that Monty wasn’t exactly itching to go to Detroit during that hiring process. They certainly interviewed Kevin Ollie, Charles Lee, and Jarron Collins, and when they weren’t satisfied with that trio for whatever reason, they pivoted to Monty and offered him a bag. Then, they stuffed the bag with more money. Then, they decided to bring the trucks full flooded with money as if they robbed a bank and gave him all that to convince him to take the job. It signaled to me that he didn’t want to take it, but it was an offer he couldn’t refuse. Certainly, it hasn’t been what Monty thought it would be, nor the Pistons. There was some speculation around the league about whether a buyout could happen. I don’t really know if I see that.

Edwards: I don’t see why Monty would do that.

Scotto: I don’t either. The only way I guess it’s plausible where you could see it from Monty is if he says this situation isn’t turning around for the better and if he gets most of his money and can go out and get a new deal somewhere else, maybe it behooves him.

Edwards: I think your points are strong. Monty – and I respect the heck out of him for saying this during his introductory presser – said he’d be lying if he said the money didn’t play a part in it. Guys always dance around that stuff. I’d also say NBA owners have a lot of money, and $50-60 million sounds like a lot to us, but I think that’s a drop in the bucket for most NBA owners. If Gores wanted to, he could sell a sliver of his ownership and pay for it.

I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibilities. We talked to Gores around Christmas, and he said he was doing things like speaking to Monty about rotations and stuff you don’t really hear owners say. I don’t know if he comes back. There’s part of me that thinks he does, but there’s part of me that thinks he doesn’t. I’m curious to find out. I think who they hire as President of Basketball Operations will be very telling in that regard.

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Scotto: Do you have a percentage on Monty returning?

Edwards: That’s tough. I think the situation has gotten a little weird. Gores’ comments were interesting going back to December. The fact that they’re hiring a President of Basketball Operations and giving that person full autonomy if they want to clean house. Factoring in how much money he makes, I’d say 60-40, he’s not the coach next year.

Mike, you made the point that Monty probably wouldn’t do a buyout unless he thinks he can get another job somewhere. Do you think, given how the situation has gone here and how it went in Phoenix, there will be another job lining up for him? Maybe that’s why he wouldn’t entertain a buyout and would like to try and turn things around here. He either has to be at peace not knowing where his next coaching gig would be, and he’s fine with that, or not at peace and still wants to coach several years down the line and isn’t sure what could happen if he takes a buyout here.

Scotto: I’m looking at it if you’re Monty, and even if you don’t have something lined up, is it better than the alternative? This team is not good, and it’s not necessarily going to be good next year. I’m not sitting here saying this will be a playoff team next year. With that in mind, maybe he could take a year off. Who knows. Is the alternative better than this? It might be.

I don’t know if Monty is a guy who’s a rebuilding coach in the mold of Kenny Atkinson, for example, and a player development guy. Monty has thrived for the majority of his career with Chris Paul as his point guard. That Suns team was loaded with talent, and he maximized it. If there’s a situation where a team underperforms in the playoffs and they think they’re a coach away, maybe they look at Monty and revert back to the Phoenix tenure and think he can be rejuvenated. It’s plausible.

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Scotto: Troy Weaver has gone 74-244 in his Pistons tenure.

Edwards: I was then and still in the camp that they needed to rebuild. I think the most glaring issue when it comes to Troy’s tenure here so far is the frugalness they’ve had. They haven’t invested significant money in the pieces around their young players. I think they relied too much on their young players. If I were the owner, I’d say we’re spending this summer, and we’ve got to.

Scotto: Do you think Troy is back next year?

Edwards: I think it would be very hard. If I were Troy, why would I want to seemingly be demoted? Do I think Detroit values some of what he brings to the table? For sure, specifically the scouting stuff. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a world where the door is opened, depending on who they hire for him to come back. But if I’m Troy, if I have an option somewhere else, why would I want to work under somebody when I was running the show for the last few years?

I think this President of Basketball Operations will be good for the Pistons. They need a clean reset as the outside perception of them is there are a lot of cooks in the kitchen. A lot of teams have a President of Basketball Operations, and they haven’t had one in six years.

Is this being used as the blanket for Tom Gores not wanting to admit any mistakes he’s made in terms of hiring and allowing and having it known that the President of Basketball Operations has the freedom to hire and fire people as they please?

The question I’d ask myself if I’m ownership as it pertains to Monty is do I feel like there’s a chance that 20 to 30 games into next season I’ll want to move on? If there’s a part of you that says yes, why not do it now when you’re starting fresh? You can’t go into the middle of next season, and if things go bad again, then you do it.

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Scotto: Two of their core guys that are important are Cade Cunningham, who’s up for an extension, and Jaden Ivey. The two players haven’t formed an ideal backcourt fit. It seems sometimes they’re better when one is on the floor or the other. With Cunningham, is he a max extension caliber guy, somewhat similar to what happened with LaMelo Ball in Charlotte, where you’re banking on the upside going forward? He hasn’t been an All-Star yet. Also, is Ivey here or a trade candidate?

Edwards: I’m in on Cade. I think what Cade showed this season in the midst of all this losing, not having significant help around him, and for him to get better after missing all of last season, so this was basically his second season. If you look at his numbers since the All-Star break, I’m not sure there were that many players in the league as good as he was in terms of his efficiency as an offensive player, the points he generated, and the opportunities he generated. That was the most important thing.

I walked away from this season – and I think a lot of them did too in terms of decision-makers there – saying we have the guy to build around. Cade showed significant progress. For him to develop under these circumstances says a lot about who he is as a player and what it could look like if you get more competent players around him.

I’d max him. Aside from me believing in what he can be as a player, I think whether or not you feel as strongly as I do, I think you need something to show for this rebuild that started four years ago. Right now, the only thing they’ve had to show for it is Isaiah Stewart was a very solid pick in the teens in 2020 and has turned into a solid NBA player who they extended last summer. I think you need something to show for all these years of losing, and I think showing you have the piece to build around would be a good start.

As for Ivey, I think it’s interesting. I agree with you, Mike, that pairing hasn’t really worked well. I think primarily it’s because Ivey’s shooting has been up and down. I think for that pairing to really work, one of them has to be an elite shooter or close to it. I think that person has to be Ivey. As much as there’s upside with having the ball in his hands, I think most people would agree that the best option for the Pistons to win is for Cade to have the ball the most in terms of his playmaking, size, and pace he plays with.

For all the good qualities Jaden has, he needs to improve as he gets downhill and his finishing at the rim, and most importantly, he needs to become a more consistent 3-point shooter for that to work with Cade.

It’ll be interesting to see whoever comes in here and what they do. I think there are some interesting options the Pistons can take. Do you see what a package of Ivey, Duren, and the top pick in the draft this year can get you in the trade market? If you’re trying to get someone like Nic Claxton, you can fill that void (Duren). The only reason we’re talking about the possibility of having to move off one of these young guys is because of the season they had. I don’t think they have the option to have any type of season close to this next year. I think the only way to acquire solid and proven NBA players is through free agency and trades. The only things they have to trade are young players and the draft pick. I think it’s a natural talking point, given how bad Detroit’s season was and how hopeful they are that it doesn’t happen again.

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Scotto: If they keep the pick, it would be interesting if they end up with Matas Buzelis, who can put the ball on the floor, shoot a little bit, and his agent is Michael Tellem, son of Arn Tellem. James, you also alluded to the possibility of them trading the pick. Is your understanding or belief that they are going to shop the pick wherever they land high in the lottery as a trade asset to improve sooner rather than later?

Edwards: They should. In talking to people around the league, I think there are teams who will see picks No. 1-3 valuable, even though this draft class has question marks at the top. I think Detroit would be happy with a Top 3 pick and the prospects there.

I think with where Detroit is, the best way to not be where Detroit is will be to utilize the trade market and get creative. If you could get two or three B-minus to B-plus players by using trades for the No. 1 pick, assuming they got it, and two of your young players, that helps you and puts you in a really good spot to be significantly better next year. Then, you fill out around the edges through free agency and exceptions.

You can follow Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) and James Edwards III (@JLEdwardsIII) on X, formerly known as Twitter.