Pistons Notes: Cade Cunningham, Bojan Bogdanovic, Free Agency

June 9, 2023

Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham may be close to returning to offseason activities, per James Edwards III of The Athletic.

Cunningham underwent season-ending surgery on his left shin back in December. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, he got off to a strong start in his second season, before being sidelined.

“I checked in over the last week if Cade can go a full five-on-five,” Edwards told HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto on the HoopHype podcast. “There were a lot of crickets. I think, with the way they operate, I don’t see it as a concern. I think he’s probably good to go or close to good to go.”

Edwards added that Cunningham has put on muscle since the start of last season and “looks completely different physically.”

Cunningham averaged 19.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 6.0 assists, shooting 42 percent from the field, in 12 appearances this past season.

The Pistons continue to view small forward Bojan Bogdanovic as a core piece, per Scotto. Still, there appears to be a chance Detroit could move him in a trade, Edwards suggested. Detroit talked to Cleveland about Bogdanovic ahead of the February trade deadline, reports indicated.
Along with Blazers forward Jerami Grant (full post), the Pistons could try to make a run at Nets forwards Cameron Johnson and Yuta Watanabe in free agency, per Edwards. Suns forward Torrey Craig could be another target given his close relationship with Williams, Edwards added.
Rival executives believe center Isaiah Stewart could be available in trades this offseason, per Scotto. Along with Stewart, the Pistons have James Wiseman, Marvin Bagley III and Jalen Duren up front. That said, Edwards called Stewart a favorite of GM Troy Weaver.