The Detroit Pistons reportedly could make a former player of new head coach Monty Williams one of their top priorities in NBA free agency.
There is no other way to say it than the Detroit Pistons 2022-2023 campaign was an absolute disaster. There was so much hope entering the season but it all seemed to come apart early when young star Cade Cunningham went down with a season-ending injury after taking part in only 12 games.
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While offseason acquisition Bojan Bogdanovic was a pleasant surprise the team’s two first-round picks in 2022 — Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren — had a great deal of growing pains in their debut season in the NBA. It all led to a horrid 17-65 record, and the bad luck continued when they were unable to secure the top pick in the NBA Draft in a year with a can’t-miss star available.
The Detroit Pistons will hope for the best that they land a future superstar with the fifth pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, but the organization does have a solid amount of salary cap space to make some worthwhile additions in NBA free agency.
Cam Johnson on Detroit Pistons NBA free agency wish list
The team is unlikely to sign stars like James Harden or Kyrie Irving this summer but there are several second and third-tier free agents that could make a major impact next season. And it seems the organization may have a favorite player of their new head coach in their off-season crosshairs.
On Friday, NBA insider Marc Stein reported in a newsletter that “Cam Johnson is prominent (and rising) on Detroit’s list of free agent targets. Brooklyn’s restricted free agent swingman naturally has a huge new fan in Motown after the Pistons’ hiring of Monty Williams as coach — Johnson’s former coach in Phoenix.”
Cam Johnson was taken with the eleventh pick overall in the 2019 NBA Draft. He played all four of his seasons with Monty Williams before being a part of the blockbuster February trade that sent Kevin Durant from Brooklyn to Phoenix. He is certainly a player with a lot of upside and could come at an affordable price.
- Cam Johnson stats (’22-’23): 15.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.2 SPG, 40% 3PT
However, Stein also noted that the Brooklyn Nets intend to match any external offer for the restricted free agent.