Detroit Pistons

Covers the 6 tracked contracts at the top of this cap sheet — not the full 15-man roster · methods →

RetoolingApron exposureLow
Front Office Brief

DET carries $108M of tracked production (13th of 30) against $125M of true cost, netting −$17.4M of surplus (5th of 30).

Tracked production$108M
Tracked true cost$125M
Net surplus−$17.4M
Tracked contracts6
FSI gradeB · 75/100
Build around Jaden Ivey

With −$0.8M of surplus from Jaden Ivey and −$17.4M team-wide, the live question is how to convert flexibility into a second star while the surplus window is open.

Detroit Pistons · Franchise Strategy IndexExperimental
Overall75/100B

Weighted profile led by downside safety (95/100).

Roster quality58/100C

$108M of tracked production ranks 13th of 30 tracked teams.

Cap flexibility83/100B

$125M committed at the below-apron tier — room to operate.

Asset base85/100A

−$17.4M of aggregate surplus ranks 5th of 30 tracked teams.

Championship window69/100C

Blend of 58th-pct production now and 85th-pct surplus to build on.

Downside risk (inverse — higher is safer)95/100A

14% of spend sits in negative-surplus money (light concentration).

Optionality64/100C

0 positive-asset contracts plus open cap sheet.

Roster thesis

DET carries $108M of tracked production (13th of 30) against $125M of true cost, netting −$17.4M of surplus (5th of 30). That profile reads retooling: an overall B-grade roster (75/100) whose defining trait is downside safety (95/100).

Best asset
Jaden IveyFairly priced

Jaden Ivey is the surplus engine: −$0.8M on $8.5M, 2.2 marginal wins of production.

Worst liability
Cade CunninghamPaying a premium

Cade Cunningham is the drag: −$7.1M under water on $269M still owed over 5 years.

Apron exposure
Tracked booksLowMajority of tracked salary sits below the apron — no penalty multiplier, $125M of clean cap.
Next Decision

Build around Jaden Ivey

With −$0.8M of surplus from Jaden Ivey and −$17.4M team-wide, the live question is how to convert flexibility into a second star while the surplus window is open.

Warning

Strategic warning

Biggest tail risk is stagnation — a B-grade profile that doesn't add a difference-maker while the surplus holds.

Detroit Pistons · Cap Sheet6 contracts tracked

This is BOW’s curated slice of Detroit Pistons’s books, not the full roster — totals below cover only the 6 tracked contracts shown here.

Tracked cap committed$125M
Production value$108M
True cost$125M
Total AASV−$17.4M
Tracked cap hits
Model Assumptions

AASV = wins × $/win − cap hit × apron multiplier. Set the knobs to your own front-office judgment — every number on this page updates live.

$3.5M
What one marginal win costs on the open market.
1.50×
How much a first-apron team's dollar really costs (tax bill, shrinking roster tools).
2.00×
The punitive tier — frozen picks, no salary aggregation, repeater tax.
Best valueFairly priced
Jaden Ivey

$8.5M cap hit

−$0.8M AASV

Biggest holePaying a premium
Cade Cunningham

$46.4M cap hit

−$7.1M AASV

PlayerCap hitAASVVerdict
Cade Cunningham$46.4M−$7.1MPaying a premium
Tobias Harris$26.0M−$4.2MPaying a premium
Jalen Duren$20.0M−$2.8MFairly priced
Isaiah Stewart$15.0M−$1.2MFairly priced
Ausar Thompson$9.3M−$1.2MFairly priced
Jaden Ivey$8.5M−$0.8MFairly priced