Trajan Langdon has three names near the top of his summer agenda: Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dennis Schröder. For Langdon, retaining the Pistons' most important free agents would mark a significant step toward a successful offseason.
"We’ll keep our ear to the ground on ways that we can improve, but improvement, for us, is more internal. If we can keep some of the guys that we had as part of this run, some of the vets, that would be great," Langdon said Tuesday as the Pistons prepare for the NBA Draft.
Beasley, Hardaway and Schröder played key roles in the Pistons' historic rise last season from 14 wins to 44. Detroit climbed from last in the NBA to sixth in the East and was a couple plays away from taking out the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs. As it was, the Pistons won their first playoff game in 17 years.
Beasley led the East in threes and finished second for Sixth Man of the Year after signing a one-year, $6 million deal last July. He's due a substantial raise. Hardaway, acquired last June in a trade with the Mavericks, started 77 games for the Pistons and averaged 11.0 points, helping the offense spread the floor around Cade Cunningham.
And Schröder, acquired at the trade deadline to support the backcourt after Jaden Ivey's season-ending injury, averaged 10.8 points and 5.3 assists for Detroit and played crucial minutes down the stretch and into the playoffs, where he was one of the team's best players.
The Pistons have been in contact with all three players this offseason, with mutual interest in each case in running it back. It doesn't mean anything is promised. As Langdon noted Tuesday, "agents are tough."
"We have stated that we are interested, and they’re interested in us. But again, agents have to do their job for their players, survey the market and see what’s there, and hopefully we can come to a resolution in bringing those guys back," Langdon said. "But we have to do our due diligence as well, in case they choose another destination."
Of the three, Beasley figures to have the longest list of suitors as a career 42.6 percent shooter from beyond the arc who's coming off arguably his best season at age 28. He could potentially triple his salary on the open market, but has been open about his desire to remain in Detroit. For the Pistons, a long-term deal worth $14.1 million per year using the non-taxpayer midlevel exception might get it done.
Schröder, 31, should also draw considerable interest as a trusted, veteran point guard who could start for a number of teams in the NBA. Hardaway, 33, is another proven vet who's been a key contributor on several winning teams in recent years.
"We know they’re going to get interest from other teams as well, so as we look to keep them, we’ll also have to have backup options if they choose to go somewhere else for a deal that we can’t match or a deal that we can’t get to," Langdon said. "We’d like to get those guys back, but we’ll be prepared to have to go in another direction, if need be."
The Pistons have two more free-agents-to-be in center Paul Reed and guard Lindy Waters, both of whom Langdon has also expressed interest in retaining.