Cade Cunningham, Pistons Reach 5-Year, $224M Contract Extension; Max Value of $269M
July 9, 2024
After being rumored to be near a deal when free agency first started, Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons have finally agreed to terms on a max extension.
Jeff Schwartz and James Dunleavy, Cunningham's agents, told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski the Oklahoma State alum has agreed to a five-year, $224 million extension that could be worth as much as $269 million if he makes an All-NBA team.
Shams Charania and James Edwards III reported on June 30 that the Pistons were planning to sign Cunningham to a five-year rookie max extension.
In the 10 days that passed without a formal announcement from the Pistons or Cunningham's camp, it left open the possibility that the two sides might have been haggling over terms.
Cunningham becomes the third member of the 2021 draft class who has agreed to a max extension this offseason. The Orlando Magic extended Franz Wagner on Sunday. Scottie Barnes signed a five-year extension with the Toronto Raptors on Monday.
The Pistons have had a busy offseason so far as they attempt to improve on last season's 14-win campaign. They have added Tobias Harris and Tim Hardaway Jr. and reached agreements with Malik Beasley and Simone Fontecchio.
All of the moves the Pistons made were in service of providing support for Cunningham. After being limited to 12 games in 2022-23, the 22-year-old had the best season of his young career during the 2023-24 campaign.
Cunningham led the Pistons in scoring (22.7 points per game) and assists (7.5) in 62 starts. He set career highs in field-goal percentage (44.9) and three-point percentage (35.5).
New head coach J.B. Bickerstaff will be tasked with turning around a club that is coming off the worst season in franchise history and hasn't made the playoffs since the 2018-19 season.
It's a tall task for anyone to take on at this point, but Cunningham's continued growth into a No. 1 option gives Bickerstaff a key building block. The Pistons have left no doubt they believe in him as their franchise player with this extension that could keep him in Detroit through the 2029-30 season.