Detroit Pistons Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pistons Notes: DSJ, Knox, Grant, Rookies

February 8th, 2021 at 9:03am CST by Arthur Hill

Instead of heading to the G League, Dennis Smith Jr. will get a chance to revive his career in Detroit, writes James L. Edwards of The Athletic. Smith and a second-round pick were the price the Knicks paid to acquire long-time Tom Thibodeau favorite Derrick Rose. The move is another step in the rebuilding process for Detroit, which already owns the league’s worst record at 5-18.

It’s the second trade in 24 months for Smith, who had two disappointing seasons in New York after being acquired in the Kristaps Porzingis deal. He fell far out of the rotation after Thibodeau took over and got into just three games this season. He’s far more likely to get playing time with the Pistons, especially with Killian Hayes recovering from a torn labrum in his right hip. Detroit saved nearly $2MM in the deal and will get a few months to evaluate Smith before deciding whether to extend a $7MM+ qualifying offer when his rookie deal expires after this season.

A bigger prize for Detroit is the draft pick, which originally belonged to the Hornets, Edwards states. The Pistons also own the Raptors’ second-round choice, along with their own first-rounder, which currently has the best odds of being No. 1 overall. The team is positioned to add more young talent in a draft class that is considered to be one of the best in years.

There’s more this morning from Detroit:

The Pistons were initially asking for Kevin Knox instead of Smith, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post, who speculates that the Knicks could be saving Knox for another trade.
Pistons coach Dwane Casey believes free agent addition Jerami Grant should be an All-Star selection (video link from The Detroit News). Grant has stepped up his game since signing with Detroit, averaging 24.0 PPG, double what he scored last year in Denver. “I hope the true basketball fan sees what he’s doing, the all-around game, not just the scorer,” Casey said.
Edwards and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic examine the progress of the Pistons’ rookies through the first third of the season. Hayes was still adjusting to the NBA when he suffered the injury, Saddiq Bey has been a valuable shooter but is otherwise limited offensively, and Isaiah Stewart has been impressive with his energy and competitiveness.

Latest On A Potential Derrick Rose Trade

February 7th, 2021 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks are a “preferred destination” for Derrick Rose because of coach Tom Thibodeau and the experience the Pistons guard had when he played in New York during the 2016/17 season, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. Word broke last night that the Knicks, along with the Clippers and a few other teams, are engaged in trade talks involving Rose.

Sources tell Berman that New York is willing to part with any of its three former lottery picks who aren’t in the rotation under Thibodeau — Kevin Knox, Frank Ntilikina and Dennis Smith Jr. However, Berman doesn’t expect Knox, the youngest of the three at age 21, to be included in the deal.

Berman also believes the team will hold on to the 2021 first-round pick it received from Dallas in the Kristaps Porzingis trade. With Dallas off to a 10-14 start, there’s a chance it could become another lottery selection. Berman notes that the Knicks have flexibility in a deal because they have $18MM in cap room and won’t have to match Rose’s $7.2MM salary.

He also points out that Saturday marked the first day that free agents who signed in November can be traded. That means Austin Rivers, Nerlens Noel and Alec Burks are all eligible to be moved.

There’s more on a potential deal:

Sources tell Ian Begley of SNY.tv that Ntilikina’s name has been brought up in trade talks. The point guard has an expiring contract and will be a restricted free agent after the season. Begley notes that the Pistons will likely ask for at least one draft pick, but he doesn’t think New York is willing to give up a first-rounder. Some Knicks representatives believed the team was close to acquiring Rose during the offseason, according to Begley. He adds that if New York pulls off a deal, it will probably be with the intention to re-sign Rose, who is also headed for free agency. The Knicks would own his Early Bird rights and could offer a contract ranging from two to four years with a starting salary up to $13.4MM or a one-year deal for as much as $9.2MM.
The Pistons are interested in acquiring Smith, who recently asked to be sent to the G League for more playing time, writes Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. With Blake Griffin‘s expensive contract likely on the books for another season, new general manager Troy Weaver has been working to reduce salary in other areas.
Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic examines how a Rose deal would affect the Knicks, particularly rookie point guard Immanuel Quickley.

Knicks Among Teams Hoping To Acquire Derrick Rose

February 6th, 2021 at 7:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pistons are talking to the Knicks about a Derrick Rose trade, but other teams have expressed interest as well, according to Shams Charania and James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Sources tell Charania that Detroit’s front office agrees with the veteran guard that a trade would be best for both sides. The Clippers, along with a few other teams, have also asked about Rose, according to sources.

New York coach Tom Thibodeau would like to team up once again with Rose, who played for him in both Chicago and Minnesota. Rose has remained productive at age 32, averaging 14.2 points, 4.2 assists and 1.9 assists in 22.8 minutes per night, but he doesn’t fit the timeline of the rebuilding Pistons.

Detroit is hoping to get something in return for Rose, who is headed for free agency after signing a two-year, $15MM contract with the team in 2019. The authors point out that the Pistons were coming off two straight playoff appearances at the time and had a strong connection in vice chairman Arn Tellem, who was Rose’s former agent. The team has since started rebuilding and currently holds the league’s worst record at 5-17.

Rose sat out Friday’s game due to “rest” and is being held out tonight for “personal reasons.” He hasn’t played this week, but doesn’t appear to have any physical issues other than a stomach ailment that forced him to miss Tuesday’s game at Utah. Although he was plagued by injuries during his prime years, Rose has been able to play at least 50 games in each of the past two seasons.

Rose had his best season under Thibodeau in Chicago in 2010/11 when he was named MVP, averaging 25.0 points and 7.7 assists per game. He suffered an ACL tear the following season and was never able to reach that level again.

Should Pistons Consider Drafting A New PG After Selecting Hayes?

February 4th, 2021 at 10:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

After the Pistons selected point guard Killian Hayes with the No. 7 pick in the 2020 draft, James L. Edwards III and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic posit that the 5-16 team should still consider drafting 6’7″ Oklahoma State ball handler Cade Cunningham if they have the opportunity to do so. Cunningham is averaging 18.3 PPG, 5.9 RPG and 3.5 APG for the Cowboys.

Pistons Attempt To Improve On-Court Output

February 4th, 2021 at 5:36pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The 5-16 Pistons are the worst team in the East. Detroit is an interesting patchwork of veterans and youth, and continues to try to produce consistently night in and night out, per Rod Beard of the Detroit News.

Pistons Players Not Interested In Bubble Concept

February 3rd, 2021 at 2:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite being in the midst of a tough road trip and having had Monday’s game vs. Denver postponed, the Pistons have no interest in the idea of finishing the season in a bubble or regional bubbles, writes Rod Beard of The Detroit News. “Honestly, any type of bubble is not very appealing,” Wayne Ellington said. “Prayerfully, we can we can get through the season as regularly as possible and keep things as normal as possible without having to enter a bubble or do anything too drastic.”

And-Ones: Australia, Evans, Masks, Free Agency

February 2nd, 2021 at 9:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Ben Simmons heads the list of players named by Basketball Australia to the country’s preliminary Olympic squad, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. Among some of the other NBA notables on the 24-player list are Aron Baynes, Joe Ingles, Dante Exum, Matisse Thybulle, Patty Mills, Josh Green, Thon Maker and Matthew Dellavedova. The squad will have to be pared to 12 players for the Olympic tournament in Tokyo this summer.

We have more from around the basketball world:

The Erie BayHawks waived guard Jacob Evans to make room for forward Jordan Bell, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets. Bell was released from his 10-day contract with the Wizards over the weekend. Evans played for the Warriors and Timberwolves the past two seasons.
The NBA will soon require players to wear KN95 or KF94 masks on the bench and all other areas where masks are necessary, Tim Bontemps of ESPN writes. The new rule will go into effect over the next week. Starting with games on Friday, the NBA will more strictly enforce current rules regarding the use of face masks, Bontemps adds.
The Athletic trio of James Edwards III (Pistons), Mike Vorkunov (Knicks) and Chris Kirschner (Hawks) take a closer look at their teams’ free agent moves during the offseason, how well those players have worked out so far, and what those franchises could have done differently.

Pistons Expected To Resume Schedule On Tuesday

February 2nd, 2021 at 8:06am CST by Luke Adams

Following a postponement on Monday night, the Pistons are expected to avoid further schedule disruptions this week, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Monday night’s game between the Pistons and Nuggets was postponed due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, as a Detroit player reportedly returned a positive or inconclusive COVID-19 test, resulting in retesting and a contact tracing investigation.

However, according to James Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link), the test in question was determined to be a false positive. Edwards and Wojnarowski both indicate that the Pistons were en route to Salt Lake City late on Monday night and anticipate being able to play Tuesday’s game against the Jazz.

When a Grizzlies player recorded a confirmed positive test two weeks ago, the team had its next five games postponed out of an abundance of caution. It’s safe to assume a similar fate could have befallen the Pistons if Monday’s result had been a confirmed positive test rather than a false positive.

Assuming everyone on the roster tests negative again today, the Pistons should be given the go-ahead to play the Jazz on Tuesday, with contests against the Suns on Friday and the Lakers on Saturday to follow.

Pistons-Nuggets Game Postponed

February 1st, 2021 at 7:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons–Nuggets game on Monday has been postponed, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

The postponement came just minutes before tipoff. It’s the 23rd this season under the league’s health and safety protocols.

According to an NBA press release, the postponement was due to ongoing contact tracing within the Pistons. The team does not have the league-required minimum of eight available players.

Detroit had not experienced any COVID-19 related issues prior to Monday. Its game against Washington on January 15 was postponed due to virus-related issues with the Wizards.

The Pistons just began a West Coast trip on Saturday with a loss at Golden State. They’re due to play the Jazz on Tuesday, the Suns on Friday and the Lakers on Saturday before returning home.

More testing will be required before any decisions are made regarding the status of their upcoming games, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.

A positive or inconclusive coronavirus test on one player led to the postponement, Wojnarowski reports in another tweet. The Pistons were watching pregame film when they were notified.

Isaiah Stewart Embodies Spirit Of Detroit

January 31st, 2021 at 6:31pm CST by JD Shaw

Pistons rookie Isaiah Stewart embodies the spirit of Detroit, James Edwards of The Athletic writes. Stewart, a tough-minded 19-year-old forward, is averaging 4.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 17.6 minutes through 18 games, showing potential on both ends of the floor. “When you play against him, you’re going to go against a ball of energy,” coach Dwane Casey said, “and you better bring your work boots and hard hat to go against him because he is going to bring it.”