Detroit Pistons Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pistons To Acquire Dennis Schröder

February 6th, 2025 at 1:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Jazz agreed to take Dennis Schröder in the four-team Jimmy Butler trade, but he’s expected to wind up with the Pistons, sources tell Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). Jake Fischer of The Stein Line and Chris Haynes both confirm Sankofa’s report.

Utah will receive KJ Martin, Josh Richardson and a 2028 second-round pick in return, a source tells Fischer (Twitter link). The Pistons initially took Richardson from Miami in the Butler deal and agreed to acquire Martin from the Sixers on Wednesday.

It’s possible the Martin deal with Philadelphia will get folded into the Butler trade. Otherwise, it appears the Pistons will complete their acquisition of Martin first, taking him into cap room. Once that’s done, Detroit, Utah, Golden State and Miami can officially pull the trigger on the Butler deal.

Counting the Jazz, this will be the fourth team of the season for Schröder, who was traded from Brooklyn to Golden State in mid-December. The Warriors were counting on him to stabilize their backcourt, but he turned out to be an unreliable shooter, connecting at just 37.5% from the field and 32.2% from three-point range in 24 games.

Schröder had been expecting to stay in the Bay Area and recently signed a new lease, according to Marc J. Spears of Andscape (Twitter link). He learned that he had been traded after Wednesday’s pre-game warm-up, and now he’s on the move again.

He should have an opportunity to play a regular role in Detroit, where the Pistons have been on the lookout for another ball-handler and play-maker since Jaden Ivey broke his fibula last month.

Schröder’s $13MM contract is expiring, so the Pistons will have to decide this summer whether to make a long-term commitment. Richardson’s $3MM deal is also expiring, while Martin has an $8MM non-guaranteed contract for next season.

Trade Rumors: Cavs, Hunter, Boucher, Heat, Blazers, Pacers

February 6th, 2025 at 11:50am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers and Hawks continue to discuss a potential trade that would send forward De’Andre Hunter to Cleveland, as Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line tweet. Reporting earlier this week indicated that the two teams were talking about a deal centered around Hunter and Caris LeVert, with a subsequent report referring to the Cavs as the frontrunner to land Hunter.

According to Fischer and Stein, one complication in the talks is that both Cleveland and Atlanta would like to end up below the luxury tax line.

The Hawks are currently below that threshold by approximately $1.2MM, while the Cavs are above it by about $1.8MM, so a third team would likely need to be brought in as a facilitator to take on a contract and ensure both teams are able to remain out of tax territory.

The Pistons, who still have a good deal of cap flexibility, could be a third party to watch, observes Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA with the 2025 deadline just a couple hours away:

After agreeing to acquire Brandon Ingram and accommodate a Miami salary dump, the Raptors are still exploring the possibility of making one more move, likely involving big man Chris Boucher, reports Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link).
The Heat, who are about $2.8MM above the luxury tax line after reaching a deal with Toronto today, will likely continue trying to get below that threshold before this afternoon’s deadline, tweets Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
Although the Trail Blazers have a handful of veteran trade candidates on their roster, there hasn’t been a ton of trade chatter in Portland, according to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian, who suggests that big man Robert Williams is the only player consistently mentioned in the days leading up to the deadline. Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons, and Deandre Ayton had also been considered available, but they’re on bigger contracts and have played crucial roles in the Blazers’ recent hot streak.
Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star explains why various moves and reports from around the league point to the Pacers having a relatively quiet trade deadline.
Arguing in favor of the Knicks keeping center Mitchell Robinson rather than trading him, Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscription required) makes the case that a healthy Robinson is the most impactful player the team could realistically add this month.

Pistons Guard Jaden Ivey Progressing, Out At Least One More Month

February 6th, 2025 at 10:11am CST by Dana Gauruder

Pistons All-Star guard Cade Cunningham will have wait at least another month for his backcourt partner to return.

Jaden Ivey is making progress from the broken left fibula he suffered on New Year’s Day against Orlando but it’s still uncertain whether he’ll return this season. He has transitioned to a walking boot and has begun light weight-bearing activity, according to a team press release posted by the PR department (Twitter link).

His progress will be updated in another four weeks as weight-bearing and basketball activities continue to evolve during the rehabilitation process, the statement adds.

Ivey underwent surgery the day after the injury, which occurred when Ivey and Magic guard Cole Anthony were battling for a loose ball and Anthony fell on the Pistons guard’s leg.

The No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 draft, Ivey had been enjoying his best season as a pro, establishing new career highs in points (17.6) and rebounds (4.1) per game, as well as field goal percentage (46.0%) and 3-point percentage (40.9%). He has started all 30 games he has played, averaging 29.9 minutes per night.

Detroit has already picked up its $10.1MM option on Ivey’s contract for next season. He’s eligible for a rookie scale extension during the offseason.

The Pistons have been using Tim Hardaway Jr. and Ausar Thompson at the wing positions since Ivey was sidelined. They have missed his ball-handling and creative skills with Cunningham taking even greater responsibility in his absence. However, the surprising Pistons have gone 10-8 in the games Ivey has already missed.

Jimmy Butler Headed To Warriors, Agrees To Extension

February 5th, 2025 at 7:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors will acquire Jimmy Butler from the Heat in exchange for Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schröder, Kyle Anderson and a protected first-round pick, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

The Pistons are also involved in the trade and will receive Lindy Waters III from Golden State and Josh Richardson from Miami, Charania tweets.

Schröder, meanwhile, is heading to Utah, which was first reported by Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link). P.J. Tucker, whom the Jazz acquired over the weekend, will be sent to Miami, sources tell Charania (Twitter link). Tucker played for the Heat during the 2021/22 season.

It was originally slated to be a five-team deal with Anderson going to the Raptors, but that part fell through, sources tell Charania (Twitter links). He adds that Miami is currently holding onto Anderson, who has an $8.78MM salary and one more guaranteed year left on his contract after this season.

Miami will have a full 15-man roster if Anderson isn’t moved elsewhere before the trade deadline, notes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link).

Charania reports that Butler has agreed to a two-year, maximum-salary extension with the Warriors that will run through the 2026/27 season. As part of that deal, which projects to be worth $111MM, he will decline his $52.4MM player option for next season.

An inability to work out an extension is the major reason that Butler was unhappy in Miami. He had been suspended three times over the past month and was away from the team as the front office tried to find an acceptable offer before Thursday’s deadline.

Butler, a six-time All-Star who had averaged 17.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game on .540/.361/.801 shooting in 25 games for Miami this season, had requested a trade in hopes of going to a team that was willing to make a long-term commitment.

Phoenix was widely reported to be his preferred destination, but the Suns were unable to work out a trade involving Bradley Beal, who holds a no-trade clause, and were apparently unwilling to make a deal with Miami that included Kevin Durant. As a result, Butler will instead join a Warriors team that was one of four clubs initially said to be on his wish list back in December and will get the extension he was seeking all along.

Under his new deal, Butler will earn a projected $54.13MM next season and $56.83MM in 2026/27, according to salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link). Gozlan notes that adding Butler ensures that the Warriors will continue to have a large payroll, and they’ll be deep in luxury tax territory if they re-sign restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga.

Butler has a $407,123 trade bonus that would increase his current salary to $49.2MM, Gozlan adds. However, Butler may need to waive that trade bonus to help Golden State fill out its roster and remain under the first apron, per Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link).

Without accounting for the bonus, the team projects to be $1.8MM below the apron with 11 players under contract. The Warriors will have to fill at least three of their four open roster spots within two weeks. Marks states that it’s possible, but the timing of each signing will be important.

The Heat had an opportunity to duck beneath the tax threshold, according to Gozlan (Twitter link), but that won’t happen if they hold onto Anderson. According to Marks (Twitter link), Miami is currently $7.8MM above the tax line and $3.1MM over the first apron.

Miami will receive the Warriors’ 2025 first-round pick with top-10 protection, sources tell Zach Lowe (Twitter link). The same protection will be in effect for 2026 if the pick doesn’t convey this year. In the unlikely event it lands in the top 10 in each of the next two years, it would be unprotected in 2027.

The Heat had reportedly been opposed to taking back salary that extended beyond the 2025/26 season, but were willing to make an exception for Wiggins, who holds a $30.2MM player option for ’26/27. At his best, the former No. 1 overall pick is an impact two-way player capable of being a secondary scorer on offense and handling challenging defensive assignments on the other end of the court.

Wiggins is averaging 17.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 30.1 minutes per game across 43 outings this season, with a .444/.379/.777 shooting line.

The Pistons will receive a second-round pick from Golden State for taking on Waters’ and Richardson’s expiring minimum contracts, tweets Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press, who doesn’t offer any more specifics on the pick.

Detroit currently has 14 players under contract but also reached a deal to acquire KJ Martin from Philadelphia in addition to Waters and Richardson. Depending on the order in which the Pistons complete their reported deals, they’ll need to waive one or two players from their current roster.

It’s worth noting that the Pistons could theoretically fit Martin into their $8MM room exception and take on Waters and Richardson using the minimum salary exception, which means their $14MM in cap room could still be used for a separate trade before they complete their two reported agreements. We’ll see if that ends up happening before Thursday’s deadline.

As part of the Tucker-Schröder swap of expiring contracts, the Jazz will receive the more favorable 2031 second-round pick from the Heat or Pacers, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).

This week’s latest mega-deal seems to ensure that Kevin Durant will remain with the Suns past the deadline. The Warriors and Heat were reportedly the teams making the strongest effort to get Phoenix to part with Durant.

Luke Adams contributed to this story.

Jaden Ivey Posts Video Of Himself Walking In Pool

February 5th, 2025 at 7:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

Pistons guard Jaden Ivey recently posted a video of himself walking underwater to his Instagram account, relays Jared Ramsey of The Detroit Free Press. Aquatic therapy is part of Ivey’s treatment as he works to recover from a broken left fibula.

Trade Rumors: Johnson, Martin, Sixers, Lakers, Jazz

February 5th, 2025 at 10:28am CST by Luke Adams

It seems increasingly likely that Cameron Johnson will remain in Brooklyn beyond the trade deadline, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post, who has consistently heard that the Nets are willing to field calls about the veteran forward but aren’t actively shopping him.

While the Nets moved quickly this season to trade Dennis Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith, both of whom can reach unrestricted free agency this summer, Johnson is under contract for two more years beyond this one, so there’s no urgency in Brooklyn to move off of him at this point — especially since the team still projects to have substantial cap room for next season even with Johnson’s $20.5MM salary on the books.

Ian Begley of SNY.tv also reported on Tuesday that a Johnson trade may not happen this week.

We have more trade rumors from around the NBA:

There’s a chance that KJ Martin, whom the Pistons agreed to acquire from Philadelphia, could be rerouted to another team prior to Thursday’s trade deadline, tweets Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. If Detroit were to acquire Martin using cap space rather than the room exception, his salary could be aggregated with one or more other players in a subsequent deal.
According to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon, and Guerschon Yabusele are among the veterans who continue to draw interest for the Sixers, who already traded Caleb Martin in addition to KJ Martin. However, Philadelphia is reluctant to move Yabusele, preferring to find a way to retain him beyond his current one-year, minimum-salary contract, Stein and Fischer say.
Grant Afseth of RG.org takes a look at the Lakers‘ hunt for another center, suggesting that – despite Rob Pelinka‘s comments downplaying the urgency to find more than a stop-gap – the team is still considering a wide range of possible targets.
Tony Jones of The Athletic checks in on the Jazz‘s plans ahead of the trade deadline, writing that John Collins and Jordan Clarkson are considered more available than Collin Sexton and especially Walker Kessler. Utah values Sexton and has set a “very high” asking price for Kessler, Jones explains.

Scotto’s Latest: Bucks, Vucevic, Ball, Martin, Sims, Hunter

February 4th, 2025 at 4:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks‘ conversations on the trade market leading up to the February 6 deadline have centered around Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis, Pat Connaughton, and MarJon Beauchamp, along with their 2031 first-round pick, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Middleton, Portis, and Connaughton hold player options for the 2025/26 season worth $34MM, $13.4MM, and $9.4MM, respectively. The expectation, Scotto writes, is that Middleton and Connaughton will pick up their options, locking in those cap hits for next season. Portis’ intentions aren’t known, per Scotto, but if he opts out, he’d presumably do so in search of a raise.

With Middleton having battled injuries, Portis potentially a free agent this summer, Connaughton having a down year, and Beauchamp not in the rotation, the value of the Bucks’ top trade candidates is limited, but that 2031 first-rounder would certainly be coveted on the trade market.

According to Scotto, in the two weeks since the Suns traded their 2031 first-round pick for three less valuable first-rounders, a handful of NBA executives have expressed interest in trying to work out a similar deal with the Bucks.

Here are a few more rumors of interest from Scotto:

Scotto checks in on Bulls trade candidates Nikola Vucevic and Lonzo Ball, writing that there’s a “growing sense” that Vucevic could be on the move this week, with the Warriors and Lakers among his rumored suitors.
As for Ball, the Grizzlies, Pistons, and Timberwolves are among the teams with interest, Scotto writes. Minnesota, a second-apron team, likely doesn’t have a realistic path to acquiring Ball in a trade, and Scotto does note that some clubs are monitoring the situation to see whether the Bulls guard could end up on the buyout market. Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported earlier today that Chicago is resistant to the idea of buying out Ball.
In general, Scotto says, the Bulls want to avoid taking on long-term salary in trades as they look to create more cap flexibility in the coming years.
Besides Milwaukee, whose interest was reported earlier today, the Lakers and the Nuggets are among the teams with some trade interest in Hornets wing Cody Martin, league sources tell Scotto.
Meanwhile, the Lakers, Clippers, and Bucks are among the teams to register some level of interest in Knicks center Jericho Sims, while Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter has drawn interest from the Cavaliers, Scotto reports.

And-Ones: All-Star Snubs, WNBA, Clark, Europe, Canales

January 31st, 2025 at 10:38pm CST by Luke Adams

There weren’t enough backcourt spots to go around on this year’s All-Star teams, in the view of Marc J. Spears of Andscape, whose annual eight-man “All-Snub” team is made up of seven guards and one center.

Outside of big man Domantas Sabonis, the most glaring omissions from this year’s All-Star rosters were all guards, Spears writes, identifying Trae Young, LaMelo Ball, Zach LaVine, and Tyrese Maxey as four worthy All-Star candidates who didn’t make the cut in the Eastern Conference despite the fact that both Eastern wild card spots went to backcourt players.

Over in the West, Kyrie Irving, Devin Booker, and Norman Powell joined Sabonis as the players most deserving of All-Star recognition who weren’t among the 12 Western players chosen to participate in the game, according to Spears.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Several NBA team owners submitted bids for expansion WNBA franchises ahead of this week’s deadline. Vince Goodwill of Yahoo Sports says Pistons owner Tom Gores was among the owners to put in a bid, while Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter links) reports that the Sixers‘, Cavaliers‘, and Rockets‘ ownership groups also put forth formal bids. The new teams approved by the WNBA as a result of this round of bidding would begin play in 2028.
In other WNBA-related news, Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark has decided not to take part in a special three-point shooting challenge at the NBA’s All-Star weekend in February, per an ESPN report. There had been speculation that Clark could take part in a contest similar to last year’s Stephen Curry vs. Sabrina Ionescu shootout, but she wants to compete in her first three-point contest at the WNBA’s All-Star weekend in Indianapolis later this year, according to her representatives at Excel Sports.
If the NBA moves forward with its plan to launch a new professional league in Europe, what will it look like? ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has published an informative primer, while Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews has shared his latest reporting on the subject. Interestingly, Windhorst notes that commissioner Adam Silver and his top lieutenants are “deeply involved” in the European endeavor and wonders if the league’s focus on “NBA Europe” might further delay the timeline for expansion stateside.
Veteran NBA assistant and current Texas Legends associate head coach Kaleb Canales will be named head coach of the Calgary Surge in the Canadian Elite Basketball League, reports NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link). The CEBL season takes place during the NBA offseason, so Canales could rejoin an NBA staff for the 2025/26 season, Haynes notes.

NBA Names Four Replacements For Rising Stars Event

January 31st, 2025 at 4:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Three second-year players and one rookie have been named replacements for the Rising Stars event at All-Star weekend in San Francisco, according to the NBA. The league issued a press release announcing the following changes:

Magic guard Anthony Black is replacing Mavericks center Dereck Lively.
Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara is replacing Hornets forward Brandon Miller.
Pistons swingman Ausar Thompson is replacing Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama.
Suns wing Ryan Dunn is replacing Sixers guard Jared McCain.

We noted when the Rising Stars participants were officially revealed on Tuesday that a few replacements would be necessary. Lively is sidelined for an extended period due to a stress fracture in his ankle, while Miller and McCain underwent season-ending procedures on their right wrist and left knee, respectively.

Wembanyama is healthy, but was selected as an All-Star reserve for the Western Conference. Players who are named All-Stars don’t take part in the Rising Stars event.

Black, Camara, Thompson, and Dunn will be included in the 21-player pool of NBA rookies and sophomores who will be drafted into three teams of seven players apiece on February 4. Those three teams, along with a fourth club made up of seven G League standouts, will compete a mini-tournament on Friday, February 14 as part of All-Star weekend’s opening night.

The squad that wins the Rising Stars event will advance to All-Star Sunday and take on one of three teams made up of NBA All-Stars in the semifinals of the new-look All-Star Game.

Isaiah Stewart Suspended, Fined

January 31st, 2025 at 11:26am CST by Arthur Hill

Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart has received a one-game suspension for accumulating six flagrant foul points, the NBA announced (via Twitter). He will serve the suspension during Friday’s home game against Dallas.

The release from the league notes that Stewart had four flagrant foul points heading into Wednesday’s contest at Indiana. He was ejected for a Flagrant 2 midway through the second quarter for shoving Pacers center Thomas Bryant (Twitter video link), adding two points to his total and triggering the automatic suspension.

Stewart was also fined $50K for making “inappropriate and objectionable gestures” after being tossed out of the game.

The incident will cost Stewart $86,207 in salary, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN, bringing his total loss to more than $136K with the fine included.

The league’s system imposes an automatic two-game suspension for any player with five or more points who commits another Flagrant 2, so Stewart could be in danger of missing more time later in the season.