While the Mike Boynton era is over in Stillwater, one of his former players is continuing to thrive in the NBA.

A former top recruit in college basketball played his lone season at the collegiate level in an Oklahoma State jersey — with that player being Cade Cunningham.

Since starring in Stillwater for one season, Cunningham has shown plenty of promise at the NBA level. Through former No. 1 overall picks three seasons, Cunningham has averaged 20 points per contest, doing so through 128 games — all of which have been starts. He was only able to play 12 games during his sophomore season, so he’s been unable to completely show his full potential.

On Sunday, as the free agency period opened, Cunningham negotiated a five-year, $236 million contract extension, the maximum for a rookie. Being drafted by the Detroit Pistons in 2021, the team now has their building block as there is plenty of question as to the rest of their young core.

Now, the Pistons have been rebuilding for quite some time. They’re still quite a few paces behind in the roster-building aspect of things, but that could be accelerated should they choose to let Cunningham remain the centerpiece of the franchise.

Cunningham, who, as mentioned, was a top recruit in the 2020 class, was landed by Boynton, who is no longer with the program. He averaged 20.1 points per game in 27 contests as a member of Oklahoma State’s basketball team. He helped the Pokes to the NCAA Tournament, too, also averaging 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

While the Cowboys could have gone further in the postseason that year, they ultimately fell short, but his time in Stillwater is still incredibly memorable as it led to him being the top selection in the 2021 NBA Draft.

READ MORE: Mike Boynton’s First Season Sets the Blueprint for Steve Lutz

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Detroit Pistons enter Sunday evening and the start of 2024 NBA free agency with the second-most cap space, behind only the big-fish hunting Philadelphia 76ers.

Not many other teams are swimming in cap space, positioning the Pistons for rare flexibility to serve as a dumping ground for unwanted salary in exchange for draft capital, and/or to take shots at luring a few mid-to-lower tier free agents by outbidding other cash-strapped teams.

The NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, signed one year ago, restricts high-spending teams with numerous hard caps. Accordingly, the Pistons have already made two deals to take on salary, moving up 16 spots in the second round Thursday in exchange for taking on Wendell Moore Jr., and on Friday receiving three future second-round picks for acquiring Tim Hardaway Jr.’s overpriced contract and sending back Quentin Grimes.

With that in mind, here are some Pistons predictions for free agency, the first under new president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon:

THE PRIMER: Pistons in NBA free agency: Cap space priorities, 8 names to watch

Detroit Pistons free agency predictions

• Re-sign Simone Fontecchio: The Pistons on Saturday tendered Fontecchio his $5.2 million qualifying offer, a procedural formality officially making him a restricted free agent. This allows the Pistons to match any offer sheet from another team that he signs. Although Fontecchio was acquired in February for the No. 31 pick and Gabriele Procida by the previous regime, led by Troy Weaver, he proved to be a solid addition to a Pistons team desperate for any semblance of a two-way wing. He shot 40.1% last season from 3-point range in 66 games between Utah and the Pistons. Any deal for around $15 million per year over three or four years is reasonable.
• Don’t splurge on Tobias Harris or any other over 30 big name: Just because the Pistons have money to spend does not mean they should throw a gigantic bag at anyone who will take it — especially if that player is on the downside of their career. It would be a huge mistake to take on long-term salary in a trade, like Jerami Grant from Portland (four years, $132 million), or give out a mammoth three-year, $75ish million contract to a “big name” like Tobias Harris. The Pistons should focus on short-term money in any veteran trade, as they did in taking on Hardaway’s $16 million expiring salary, or shoot lower for a role player in free agency like New Orleans forward Naji Marshall, who has plenty of familiarity with Langdon, or a low-cost center like Goga Bitadze (for defense) or Moritz Wagner (for shooting). At his introductory news conference, Langdon said the Pistons would not “skip steps” — let’s see if that holds true in his debut free agency as a lead decision maker. There should be gems to find with the market potentially collapsing for solid bench players due to the CBA constraints.
• Add more shooting: The Pistons once again eschewed 3-point shooting by drafting Holland. They must surround Cade Cunningham with a lights out 3-point threat. He’s currently saddled by several non-shooters in Holland, Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren or those who don’t pull away defenders (Jaden Ivey, Isaiah Stewart). The Pistons should look hard at Malik Beasley, Buddy Hield or Gary Harris, or go further down the free agent list to Luke Kennard or even Seth Curry. A one-year overpay might suffice for any of the first three names above, but a balloon payment for two years with a team option on the second year (like Indiana did with Bruce Brown Jr. last summer) would give the Pistons flexibility and greater salary matching ability to use in a future trade.

THE NEW GUY: Pistons abruptly hire J.B. Bickerstaff as head coach

When does NBA free agency start?

Free agency opens Sunday at 6 p.m. ET, with negotiations allowed between teams and all upcoming free agents. Deals can be can be signed officially starting Saturday at 12:01 p.m.

The top free agent is Paul George, with plenty of solid starters and depth pieces on the market, including James Harden, DeMar DeRozan, Klay Thompson and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Detroit Pistons 2024 free agents 

The Pistons have several free agents, both unrestricted and restricted.

• Simone Fontecchio, restricted (Pistons can match any offer from another team)
• Chimezie Metu, unrestricted
• Evan Fournier, unrestricted
• James Wiseman, unrestricted
• Jared Rhoden, unrestricted
• Jaylen Nowell, unrestricted
• Malachi Flynn, unrestricted
• Stanley Umude, unrestricted
• Taj Gibson, unrestricted

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