5 roster moves the Detroit Pistons need to make this offseason

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Apr 10, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Killian Hayes (7) shoots over Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) in the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

Roster moves the Detroit Pistons need to make this offseason: 2. Pick up Killian Hayes’ team option.

The Pistons are well on the way to being a competitive unit in the Eastern Conference again. One player who was meant to take them further than he has so far is Killian Hayes. To be fair Hayes, missed a large chunk of his rookie season through injury, but that does not change the fact that, as a top-10 draft pick, there are expectations.

He played extremely well during some games but ended his second season averaging only 6.9 points, 4.2 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 25.0 minutes per game. His numbers are so low thanks to Cunningham coming into the team and performing as a true number one pick should.

Hayes is due $5.8 million next season with one more year to go on his rookie deal. This gives the Pistons a number of options of how they can use Hayes. While he started 40 games this season, Hayes was used as a ball-handler to help Cunningham initiate the offense.

They could continue to use Hayes this way, or possibly bring him off the bench. However, the Pistons could also trade Hayes to a team looking to content as a low-cost backup point guard. This could bring them further assets or even a player who can help move them up the standings.

Next: Move #3