The Detroit Pistons finally entered the playoffs last season after years of toiling in mediocrity.
Thanks to a couple of very solid draft picks and two other acquisitions, the boys from the Motor City are once again on their way to Eastern Conference relevance.
Like every young team, the one dilemma that awaits its front office is figuring out how to please everyone financially in order to lock them up for the long term. Andre Drummond, Tobias Harris, and Reggie Jackson are all under contract for the next few years, but Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will be next summer’s hot item as he is sure to command a hefty price.
According to Pistons owner Tom Gores, paying the luxury tax won’t be a major concern for him – but on one condition, per Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
“Look, if we weren’t building a core, there’s really no point in paying the luxury tax. Because we are building a core, would I do it? Yeah, absolutely. …”
“So you say go into the luxury tax for nothing, then that would be silly because then we’re putting the franchise behind. But given that we have such a good core, if that’s what it took, and we feel we’ve made such progress this year, I wouldn’t hesitate to do it because we want to keep getting better.”
While the team doesn’t have experienced players, the core seems to be capable of producing winners for Detroit to disregard the tax penalties just to keep them intact.
Another Michigan guy in Dan Gilbert is popular for having deep pockets when it comes to his Cleveland Cavaliers, and he has already reaped the fruits of his big risk. For now, Gores seems to be leaning towards the same direction.
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