BREAKING NEWS: piston management set to release two key player after recent development

The Detroit Pistons’ 2023-24 NBA season begins on Wednesday, and as of now, Killian Hayes and James Wiseman are slated to be on the team’s roster. However, their roles with the Pistons after this season are unknown.

According to The Athletic, the Pistons decided not to extend contracts to both fourth-year players before the 6 p.m. EST deadline on Monday. As a result, they are anticipated to finish the season and become restricted free agents during the NBA free agency period next summer.

There was a lot of discussion about Hayes and Wiseman’s place on the squad heading into this season. In April, Pistons General Manager Troy Weaver said of 2020 draftee extensions, “We’ll have discussions to explore this.” Nothing too serious at the moment, but when the time comes, we’ll have those discussions. We have other things to handle first, but we welcome those discussions.”

Hayes played his first three seasons in the league with former Detroit Pistons head coach Dwane Casey. Last season, he averaged 10.3 points, 6.2 assists, and 1.4 steals in 76 games, 56 of which he started due to Cade Cunningham’s season-ending injury after only 12 games.

. Outside of his defensive abilities, his performance has showed limited improvement. He’s struggled as a shooter, converting less than 40% from the field and less than 30% from beyond the arc in each of the last three seasons.

Given his lack of productivity, it’s safe to assume the Pistons acquired veteran guard Monte’ Morris from the Washington Wizards and picked three-point specialist Marcus Sasser from Houston this season. With Cunningham’s return to full health and the infusion of extra point guards, the Pistons have been linked to a trade for Hayes. He is currently the likely immediate backup point guard to Cunningham, with Morris out due to lower back soreness.

up the instance of Wiseman, he was acquired from the Golden State Warriors at the trade deadline last season and has put up a strong performance. The former Memphis Tiger was another initiative done by Pistons general manager Troy Weaver, with the goal of improving the team’s frontcourt depth for Eastern Conference battle against clubs such as the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Boston Celtics.

“He possesses all of the qualities we look for in a person, and as a player, he has tremendous upside,” Weaver said when the Pistons signed Wiseman in February. “Often, when young players join championship-level teams, it can be challenging to find their role because they need to adapt to an established system.”

Weaver believed that with Casey’s guidance, the Pistons would be able to bring out untapped talent in Wiseman, who had fallen out of favor in the Warriors’ system under coach Steve Kerr.

Wiseman came off the bench in his first two games with the Pistons before becoming a full-time starter on Feb. 25 and staying there for the rest of the season. During that 22-game span, he averaged 13 points on 54% shooting from the field, 8.1 rebounds, and nearly a block per game.

Despite his good performance, Wiseman’s position in the Pistons’ rotation under new head coach Monty Williams raises concerns. Jalen Duren, Marvin Bagley, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Isaiah Stewart, who signed a four-year, $64 million agreement with the Pistons in the offseason, lead the team’s frontcourt.

The Pistons released their opening night roster for the 2023-24 season on Monday afternoon, with both Hayes and Wiseman slated to play in backup roles.”