Paul Reed is heading into next season with a lot on the line, and the Pistons know it.
Detroit is set to pay Reed $5.6 million next season after recently fully guaranteeing his deal, a move that came after the team only needed 13 minutes per game from him in the playoffs to decide he could be a cheaper answer than Isaiah Stewart. That kind of vote of confidence puts Reed in a spot where every minute matters. Until Jalen Duren signs, Reed is the de facto starting center for the Pistons, and even once Duren is back in the fold, Reed should still have a bigger role as the primary backup.
That setup gives Reed a real chance to cash in. His current contract can’t be extended, which means he’ll hit unrestricted free agency at season’s end, though Detroit will keep his Bird rights. If he shows he can handle backup-center duties in the regular season and follows that with another solid playoff run, he could be looking at a major payday next summer.
Right now, Reed is on third-center money. That won’t stay that way if he’s playing 20-plus minutes a night and producing at the level he’s shown before.
Isaiah Stewart is making $15 million for 10/5 splits with some shot blocking thrown into 22 minutes per game, so if Reed matches or beats those numbers, he’ll be in position for that kind of deal when free agency comes around again. At the very least, he has the chance to triple his yearly salary.
There’s also a scenario where Reed’s role grows even larger than expected. Duren still hasn’t signed, and while the expectation is that he’ll eventually reach a deal, nothing is done yet.
Pistons media day is three weeks away, training camp starts the next day, and Duren could still end up as a holdout. He has until October 1st to accept the qualifying offer and the start of the season to work out a contract.
If Duren isn’t back, or if he returns on a one-year deal, Reed becomes even more important. He outplayed Duren in the playoffs, and at some point the Pistons could start asking why they’re paying Duren nearly $40 million a year when Reed is making less than six.
The ideal outcome is still Reed backing up Duren, because Detroit needs both bigs. But even in that version of the roster, Reed has a clean runway to boost his value. No Pistons player has more reason to come into next season locked in and ready to earn a bigger contract.
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Pistons Coaching Search Could Suddenly Get A Proven Upgrade
The coaching market has a way of changing quickly, and Tyronn Lue has suddenly become a name worth watching around the league. His track record still carries plenty of weight because of the way he has guided teams through playoff pressure, and for a Pistons group looking to keep building in the right direction, that kind of sideline experience would stand out in a major way.
Nothing is confirmed, of course, and the whole idea remains speculative for now. But if Detroit ends up exploring its options, a coach with Lues resume would represent the sort of proven upgrade that can reshape the conversation around a young roster, especially if the path in Los Angeles gets more uncertain. [Read more 🡒]