Troy Weaver and the Pistons intend to keep Marvin Bagley III in the fold, and they took a step toward doing that Tuesday.
The club has tendered Bagley a $7.2 million qualifying offer before he hits restricted free agency July 1, a "decision that likely signals Bagley and Detroit will reach an agreement on a new contract early in the free agency process," per Keith Smith of Spotrac.
As a former second overall pick, Bagley now carries a $28 million cap hold for 2022-23. The Pistons won't be paying him even close to that much on a new deal, so the two sides will either reach a different agreement or the club will renounce the original qualifying offer.
Bagley did play well for the Pistons down the stretch last season after being acquired from the Kings at the trade deadline and is likely looking at a two- or three-year deal worth in the neighborhood of $7 million annually. He turned 23 in March.
Asked in May if he intends to bring Bagley back, Weaver said, "Absolutely."
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That was before the Pistons acquired fellow 6'11 big man Jalen Duren in the draft, but Bagley still showed enough last season to warrant a longer look in Detroit. He averaged 14.6 points and shot a career high 55.5 percent from the field in 18 games, displaying natural chemistry with Cade Cunningham.
"He got an opportunity to showcase himself, but more important he gave us something we didn’t have that was much-needed: a front-court athlete that could rebound and could score at the basket," Weaver said in May. "That was very noticeable when he joined the ball club. So we’re excited to have the skillset, but the person, he’s a great individual, he fits in the locker room and the guys love having him on the team."
The Pistons have also picked up the $5.2 million option for Hamidou Diallo next season, per Spotrac. A trade acquisition by Weaver in 2020-21, Diallo has emerged as one of Detroit's stronger bench players.
The 23-year-old wing averaged 11.0 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting a career-high 49.6 percent from the field last season.
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