Shams reported that the Pistons signed Cunningham ahead of schedule with a five-year, 226 million max salary. After Barnes signed a five-year, 270 million super cap salary, CC also successfully got the top salary from the Pistons. For both the Raptors and the Pistons, this was a helpless move. In the bitter cold land of the Raptors, you can't keep people without spending a lot of money. Cunningham is a must-have for the Pistons, because the team really doesn't have decent players, and CC is the only core.
Statistically, Cunningham played in 62 games for the Pistons last season, averaging 22.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game while shooting 44.9% from the field and 35.5% from three-point range. Barnes was the No. 4 pick in the first round in '21 and Cunningham was the No. 1 pick, and the two received a $500 million contract extension. It's a huge pressure for Bangyan and Tanhua. Do the Cavaliers want to give Mobley the same contract? Do the Rockets want to give Jalen Green the same contract?
This is definitely the problem that Mobley and Jalen Green want to solve the most at present, the Cavaliers are prioritizing the renewal of Mitchell, and the Rockets are directly rejecting Green's request for an early contract extension. They're still waiting and seeing, and the biggest problem for the Rockets right now is that they can't see Jalen Green as the core. At least Cunningham has the stats out, Green can't understand the stats, and the third-year shooting percentage has been an inefficient 42 percent and 34 percent from three-point range.
Including Shin Kyung, these two 21 third-graders failed to make the Rockets make up their minds to renew their contracts. And today is the time for the free market to open, and the Rockets are not making any moves. The reason is that the team space is locked up and the rotation cannot be arranged. After getting Griffin from the Eagles, the Rockets put together 8 pieces. These eight rookies are like birds waiting to be fed, and they all need resources to develop. But the Rockets can't meet their demands, let alone continue to sign reinforcements.
The Rockets reporter reported today that Stone will not focus on the free market, but will be aggressive in the trade market. It's clear that the Rockets will not be able to play at all going into next season in their current form. Jalen Green, Shin Jing, Smith, Ethan, Amen, White Devils, and then this year's Shepard, plus a Griffin? It's already an 8-man rotation, so there is still time for veterans such as Van Jordan, Dillon, and Adams Landale?
The Rockets urgently need to make a loose banknote for whole bill deal in case they can make the personnel reasonable. And next season, Green and Shin Kyung will have to play in their final year, which could make them mess with the ball. The Rockets did not renew Shin Kyung and Green early, unlike Philadelphia who did not renew Maxey. Because both Philadelphia and Maxi understand that renewing his contract is a certainty. However, Green and Shen Jing delayed until the fourth year to renew their contracts, which is very easy to affect their mentality.
Mitchell and Booker have become the two quarterbacks that the Rockets want to win the most, and if they can, the Rockets will even package and trade Green and Shin Jing. There were rumors before that the Rockets were going to trade Shin Jing for Durant, but later the Suns reporter confirmed that what the Rockets wanted was Booker. Now the dilemma in front of us is that Shin Jing and Green are not cornerstone attributes, and the Rockets have taken Shepard as a potential star. Giving up the two 21-year-old rookies who couldn't make it to the top of the game and betting on Shepard and Stud Supergiants might be the best option. At the end of the day, the Rockets have a trade-off, and it's not a question of whether or not to sign now, it's that they have too many people on the roster.