The Detroit Pistons have a multitude of problems.
1. The team stinks
2. it’s highest paid players are often not on the court or haven’t played to expectations
3. The Pistons likely will be without its first round pick this year.
This article is about problem 2., the team’s highest paid players, which are either not playing, injured and not playing, or have not lived up to their contract.
Let’s take a look at the Pistons salary situation over the next few seasons, via HoopsHype
| PLAYER | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 |
| Blake Griffin | $29,512,900 | $31,873,932 | $34,234,964 | $36,595,996 | $38,957,028 |
| Andre Drummond | $23,775,506 | $25,434,262 | $27,093,018 | $28,751,774 | $0 |
| Reggie Jackson | $16,000,000 | $17,043,478 | $18,086,956 | $0 | $0 |
| Jon Leuer | $10,497,319 | $10,002,681 | $9,508,043 | $0 | $0 |
| Langston Galloway | $6,666,667 | $7,000,000 | $7,333,333 | $0 | $0 |
| Ishmael Smith | $6,000,000 | $6,000,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Josh Smith | $5,331,729 | $5,331,729 | $5,331,729 | $0 | $0 |
Through 2019/2020, four of the Pistons top seven highest paid players are either frequently hurt (Reggie Jackson), not playing due to injury or have not lived up to their contract (Jon Leuer, and to an extent, Reggie Jackson), being paid while not playing for the team (Josh Smith), or not really being used (Langston Galloway).