The Detroit Pistons are fully committed to the Cade Cunningham business.
The 22-year-old former No. 1 overall draft selection agreed to a five-year, $226 million maximum contract extension with the Pistons, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. The deal could be worth an additional $44 million if Cunningham makes an All-NBA team during the 2024-25 campaign.
Cunningham averaged 22.7 points (on 45/36/87 shooting splits), 7.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 33.5 minutes per game over over 62 appearances this past season, cementing himself as Detroit’s best player. The Pistons, however, finished 14-68, owners of the league’s worst record for the second straight season.
Cunningham finished third in the 2022 Rookie of the Year voting behind Scottie Barnes and Evan Mobley, both of whom are likely to land a similar maximum rookie-scale extension. Cunningham missed all but 12 games to a leg injury in his sophomore campaign. He showed significant improvement as both a shooter and a playmaker in his third season, even as Detroit lost a record 28 consecutive games during this year.
The Pistons fired head coach Monty Williams with $65 million remaining on his contract. They have yet to name the replacement who will be asked to develop Cunningham into the star he was projected to be.
Source Agencies
