SEPTEMBER 28TH, 11:23pm: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.
2:30pm: It’s a one-year deal for the minimum with limited injury protection, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. That indicates that it’s an Exhibit 9 contract.
SEPTEMBER 14TH, 10:46am: The signing took place Friday, according to the RealGM transactions log, though the Pistons have made no formal announcement.
SEPTEMBER 1ST, 9:34pm: The Pistons have agreed to a deal with unrestricted free agent small forward Eric Griffin, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). The length and terms of the deal are unknown, but Charania does add that the pact is non-guaranteed, which means that it is likely a minimum salary training camp arrangement, though that is merely my speculation.
The 25-year-old will certainly have his work cut out for him in order to remain on the roster for the beginning of the regular season. Detroit currently has 18 players on its roster, which isn’t uncommon this time of the year. What is unusual is that 17 of those players possess fully guaranteed pacts, and if Griffin were to make the final cut, then the Pistons would need to eat a total of three fully guaranteed salaries in order to clear a slot for him. It is possible that Detroit inked Griffin with an eye on sending him to its D-League affiliate for the 2015/16 campaign, though that is merely my speculation.
Griffin went undrafted out of Campbell University back in 2012. He was a camp invitee for the Mavericks last season, and the forward later inked a deal to play in Puerto Rico for Leones de Ponce. He played summer league ball for both the Clippers and the Cavaliers this offseason.
Yes, I think this is a signing done with the Grand Rapids Drive in mind. I think they’ll make one more, too. If they wind up cutting guys with guaranteed contracts, I don’t envision them going to the D-League, which is why I think they’ll add a few more bodies for that purpose. I see the Pistons carrying the maximum 20 guys into camp.
The Pistons have loaded up on wing players for camp — Griffin would have to be spectacular to make the opening night roster. Don’t see that happening.