Looking back at this season, the Detroit Pistons had no shortage of positive storylines. Aside from their historic turnaround, one of the biggest talking points around the team was the play of Cade Cunningham.
In his fourth season, the former No. 1 pick put together a breakout campaign for the Pistons. He was a driving force in their success as the central hub of the team’s offense. Cunningham appeared in 70 games, where he averaged 26.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 9.1 APG.
As he emerged as a star in the NBA, Cunningham saw numerous personal accolades get thrown his way. It started in February when he got the first All-Star nod his career. The Pistons star was later named a finalist for Most Improved Player but ended up getting beat out by Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels.
On Friday evening, Cunningham found himself with another notable accolade. He received All-NBA honors, landing on the third team. Alongside him are James Harden, Tyrese Haliburton, Karl Anthony-Towns and Jalen Williams.
Aside from the league-wide recognition, there are other implications for Cunningham following this All-NBA nod. Mainly when it comes to his contract.
Last offseason, Cunningham inked a five-year extension with the Pistons worth $224.2 million. However, that number will now increase. ESPN’s Bobby Marks provided the full breakdown of Cunningham’s pay bump following this feat. He is now set to earn $269 million, a $45 million increase.
Based on how he played this season, the Pistons should be more than willing to shell out the extra money for their premier guard. Between the regular season and playoffs, Cunningham displayed that he is capable of being the primary pillar for the franchise for the foreseeable future.
