Everything about the maneuverings of the Detroit Pistons from last year’s trade deadline to the beginning of November pointed to one thing — the organization was seriously committed to bringing back Christian Wood on a multi-year deal.
The team traded high-priced center Andre Drummond to Cleveland for nothing more than a low second-round pick explicitly so his $28 million salary would be off the books. When new GM Troy Weaver came on board he called retaining Christian Wood a “priority” for the team.
The Pistons had roughly $30 million under the salary cap with an eye toward reserving the largest chunk of that money to ensure they could give Wood a new deal.