3 Detroit Pistons who definitely won't be back next season

For as low as the standard was for the Detroit Pistons this season, their performance has been nothing short of disappointing. They currently sit at 9-51, comfortably among the three worst teams in the NBA this season, and broke the record for most consecutive losses with a 29-game losing streak. Again, even in a rebuilding year, where the focus isn't as much on wins but more on the process of how they play and the development of their players, the season can be looked at as a disaster.

They started decently enough by signing Monty Williams to a then-record six-year, $78.5 million contract in the 2023 offseason, someone who was looked at as a good coach whose reign with the Phoenix Suns ended after public spats with DeAndre Ayton. However, his short tenure with the Pistons has been rocky as he's mishandled the roles of Jaden Ivey and Ausar Thompson and didn't do Killian Hayes any favors in helping turn his career around. But, there's always next year ... right?

Cade Cunningham is still a player with All-Star potential worth building around until further notice. Jalen Duren has shown flashes of being a starter on a good team. Thompson and Ivey have been able to turn it around recently with consistent play and getting into a groove, and have pieces in place to have success in the future. The team enters a pressure-filled offseason where their general manager, Troy Weaver, will be in a hot seat, and Williams will have to lead a better team next season before bad discussions about his contract start.

They'll have $40+ million at their disposal to work with, a year after they had $30+ million and stayed rather quiet. This year, it's less about adding for the sake of adding and more about putting their current core in the best position to succeed. That might mean letting some pieces walk.

Here's three names that won't be on Detroit's depth chart next season:

3. Evan Fournier

I don't agree with the philosophy most rebuilding teams have when putting their rosters together nowadays. The focus is less on putting solid pieces around their main young players and more on getting the most pieces possible to develop at the same time. Teams favor developing projects over having already established players, and much more than having veterans who complement their young players and can walk them through NBA life as they start their careers.

That's why I liked the Pistons holding on to Bojan Bogdanovic for such a long time. While he was the perfect player to be traded immediately to a contender (playstyle and contract fit anywhere), he stayed for a season and a half as a scorer and shooter that complemented Cunningham and Ivey, their lead guards, in particular. To a lesser extent, that's the same value Evan Fournier brings to this group. But, considering the number and the play, he might not be the right piece to keep.

While Fournier is young for a veteran (31 years old), his team option for next season is a steep $19 million, and for what he provides he isn't worth that. Overall, he's shooting 40 percent from 3 with 9.1 points per game since arriving, but in his last four he's only averaging 6.8 points on 30 percent from 3, and he's only shooting 34 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s this season. They could add a couple of pieces that shoot better in free agency, and that's not even accounting for their two draft picks.

It's a shame Joe Harris didn't work out because him in some level of his peak would've been perfect.