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The NBA Salary Cap has jumped $24-million dollars. That's an increase of 134.3-percent over last year's $70-million dollar salary cap (third largest in NBA history percentage-wise). Teams will be throwing crazy money at free agents this year. This one tweet sums it up:
Woj said on Mannix's pod that midlevel free agents will get between 12-14 million dollar/year offers. He included Tyler Johnson on that list
— Chris Wittyngham (@ChrisWittyngham) June 28, 2016
Just for context, here's a little information about Johnson. Ziller has him listed as the 38th best free agent in this summers crop. He has played in 68 total games in his two NBA seasons. His shooting numbers are good, but they are on limited attempts (6.0 attempts per game in two seasons). But, $12-$14 million dollars?
Anyways, here is how the Pistons salary currently looks:
| Player | 2016-17 Salary | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Tobias Harris | $17,200,000 | - |
| Reggie Jackson | $14,956,522 | - |
| Andre Drummond | $8,200,000 (cap hold) | Restricted FA |
| Aron Baynes | $6,500,000 | - |
| Jodie Meeks | $6,540,000 | - |
| Josh Smith | $5,400,000 | NOT A PISTON |
| Marcus Morris | $4,625,000 | - |
| Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | $3,678,319 | - |
| Stanley Johnson | $2,869,440 | - |
| Joel Anthony | $2,500,000 | Team Option |
| Reggie Bullock | $2,255,644 | - |
| Cameron Bairstow | $980,431 | Team Option |
| Darrun Hilliard | $874,636 | Team Option |
| Total | $76,579,992 | $17,420,008 available |
| Total w/o Team Options | $72,224,925 | $21,775,075 available |
Here is a look at their depth chart (players listed in all positions they can/have played):
- Point Guard - Reggie Jackson, Michael Gbinije
- Shooting Guard - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Darrun Hilliard, Stanley Johnson, Reggie Bullock, Jodie Meeks, Michael Gbinije
- Small Forward - Marcus Morris, Stanley Johnson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Reggie Bullock, Michael Gbinije
- Power Forward - Tobias Harris, Marcus Morris, Stanley Johnson, Aron Baynes, Henry Ellenson, Cameron Bairstow
- Center - Andre Drummond, Aron Baynes, Joel Anthony, Cameron Bairstow, Henry Ellenson
As can be seen, the Pistons biggest area of concern is backup point guard. If the likes of Tyler Johnson will garner $12-$14 million dollars per year, then the likes of Jeremy Lin, Matthew Dellavedova, and Brandon Jennings will be near or a lot more than that.
Let us know what you would like to see the Pistons do with their available cap money in the comments.