The Pistons waived five players on Thursday, according to the NBA’s official transaction log. Lamar Stevens, Dereon Seabron, Aaron Estrada, Javante McCoy and Tolu Smith were all waived by Detroit.
All five players were on non-guaranteed, Exhibit 10 contracts that will allow them to earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K if they spend at least 60 days with Detroit’s G League affiliate. Of the five, only Stevens was ineligible for a two-way contract, as he holds four seasons of NBA experience.
It’s a bit interesting that not one member of Detroit’s training camp roster made the final cut. The Pistons have one standard contract slot open and waived Tosan Evbuomwan this week, which gives them two open two-way slots to fill. While Stevens impressed a bit in the preseason, he was available to sign late into the offseason and the team could revisit him down the line if they chose.
In the aftermath, it seems as though the Pistons will explore what teams across the league do with their cuts. Having finished with the worst record last season, Detroit is in a good place to make whatever waiver claims they want. Perhaps a player or players they have interest in will shake loose for the Pistons to snag.
Stevens, 27, went undrafted in 2020 but caught on with the Cavaliers on a two-way deal. He impressed in his rookie season, earning a standard contract. He wasn’t retained past 2023 though and he signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Celtics, earning a spot on the standard roster. Stevens was then traded to the Grizzlies at the trade deadline in the move that sent Xavier Tillman to Boston, but Stevens wasn’t re-signed. In four years of NBA experience, he holds career averages of 5.7 points and 2.9 rebounds.
Seabron played the last two seasons with the Pelicans on a two-way contract. He played 11 games at the NBA level, averaging 1.6 points. The NC State product played more extensively in the G League, averaging 18.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists on a .555/.391/.724 shooting split in 28 games (26 starts) last season.
Estrada went undrafted in the 2024 class after a five-year college career. He spent time at Saint Peter’s, Oregon and Hofstra before playing his final collegiate season at Alabama, helping the team to a Final Four run. In his final season, he averaged 13.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.6 steals.
McCoy spent his entire five-year collegiate career at Boston University, going undrafted in 2022. Across 147 career college games, he averaged 13.1 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 37.7% from three. He spent time with the Lakers and Spurs previously in training camps, signing Exhibit 10 deals with each before playing for their respective G League teams afterward. In 43 games with the Austin Spurs last year, he averaged 9.2 points.
Smith, a 6’11” forward, averaged 11.7 points and 6.7 rebounds in 142 career college games (102 starts). He played his freshman season at Western Kentucky before transferring and playing the final four years of his collegiate career at Mississippi State. He went undrafted in 2024 and made three preseason appearances with Detroit.