Luke Kennard got paid, and the number of zeros on his future checks are likely why he is no longer wearing a Pistons uniform. Kennard agreed to a four-year, $64 million extension with the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, according to reports.
That $16 million average annual value was not something the Pistons were interested in paying to secure the 3-point shooting threat as he enters his age 24-27 seasons. It might also hint at why interest in Kennard on the trade market was somewhat tepid.
I know you’re not allowed to negotiate deals in advance or with other teams (wink, wink), but if organizations somehow miraculously knew what kind of deal Kennard’s agents were looking for as he entered restricted free agency, and what it would take for him to sign his extension early, well, not a lot of teams were willing to fork over that kind of cash — including Detroit.