The Detroit Pistons' 2023-24 campaign became an abject failure when they lost a record-tying 28 games in a row, but there are some positives that can carry into next year and finally yield some genuine team progress. Despite an embarrassing 9-49 record, the youth movement is slowly starting to take shape in the second half of the season.

The absence of meaningful basketball, along with the extra emphasis on the future, makes the decision-making process quite easy when it comes to veteran Mike Muscala.

“ESPN Sources: Detroit Pistons C Mike Muscala is finalizing a contract buyout, clearing the way for him to be eligible for the playoffs with his next team,” insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported. “Muscala has interest of a few contenders.”

The 32-year-old is one of the only remaining “elder statesmen” on the roster after Detroit traded Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks. Clearly, this rebuild has not yet progressed to the stage where a strong veteran presence will be coveted. The top priory is still the development of guys like Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Jaden Ivey and Ausar Thompson, among others. The recently-acquired Evan Fournier is managing to carve out a decent role for himself, however.

Muscala, like Fournier, arrived on the Pistons at the trade deadline. Considering that his previous employer was the Washington Wizards, he is probably overjoyed for the opportunity to join a postseason contender. He has shot the ball poorly from the field this year but is a career 37.6 percent 3-point shooter.

There is an added demand for big men who can space the floor during this crucial time of the year, so Mike Muscala should catch on somewhere. Meanwhile, the Pistons, who beat the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday after losing back-to-back games in controversial fashion, hope to climb into the double-digit win column versus the Cleveland Cavaliers this Friday.