Joe Dumars Stan Van Gundy is not shy about spending the Pistons’ cap room on middling free agents.
A year after Dumars coveted whatever it is Josh Smith is supposed to bring (defense and athleticism, I suppose), Van Gundy’s goals are a little more transparent.
He wants shooting.
Detroit’s new president/coach will get that in Jodie Meeks and Cartier Martin. At least in the case of Meeks, though, Van Gundy is paying a premium.
Jodie Meeks has agreed to a three-year, $19 million-plus contract with the Detroit Pistons, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2014
Free agent Cartier Martin has reached agreement on a one-year deal with the Detroit Pistons, league source tells Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2014
Meeks made a career-high 40.1 percent of his 3-pointers for the Lakers last season. If he maintains that level, he might be worth that contract.
But he was also playing for Mike D’Antoni, whose system boosts outside shooters, and Meeks’ career 3-point percentage (36.7) is not much above the league average.
Maybe the Pistons think the 26-year-old broke through – or even has room to grow. Personally, I see a solid role player who won’t try to do too much. He’ll make more than his share of outside shots and defend well enough to warrant consistent playing time. I don’t see much upside remaining.
Meeks can’t officially sign until July 10, but these types of deals rarely, if ever, fall through.
If Martin is on a minimum contract – and that’s the most likely outcome – he could sign at any time. But the Pistons, to preserve their cap room, would likely sign him after using the rest of their cap room. They entered free agency with a projected $13,615,136 to spend beyond re-signing Greg Monroe and using the room exception.
Marin, 29, is a gritty wing player who’s an end-of-bench type. He’s also a 38.3 career 3-point shooter – actually higher than Meeks’ career 37.6 percent. If what you see is what you get with Martin, the Pistons did well on him.
If what you see is what you get with Meeks, the signing is questionable to say the least.