After last season, when Pistons owner Tom Gores fired Stan Van Gundy following a four-year tenure, he changed the direction of the franchise.
Van Gundy assembled the roster to suit his style of play, with several large contracts that are still on the books. With the trade for Blake Griffin in January 2018, the Pistons took a huge leap — adding a bona fide superstar with a massive contract — that tied the franchise’s future to the five years of his $171-million deal. That move has far-reaching effects: the Pistons are in salary-cap purgatory, perilously close to the luxury tax but also still searching for key pieces to solidify the roster.