Detroit Pistons Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pistons Notes: Casey, Walton, Hall, Doumbouya

February 24th, 2020 at 8:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pistons coach Dwane Casey didn’t sign up for a rebuild, but that’s the situation he finds himself in, as James Edwards of The Athletic details. Casey will have three years remaining on his contract after this season and the front office has a plan in place for a turnaround. He did that with the Raptors and he hopes to get a chance to coach the finished product in Detroit. “You’d love to finish what you start building,” Casey said. “That’s what you want to be known for, and you want to have an opportunity to finish.”

We have more on the Pistons:

Point guard Derrick Walton Jr. hopes to stick with the club beyond the 10-day contract he signed on Friday, as he told The Detroit Free Press. Walton became a free agent when the Clippers dealt him earlier this month to the Hawks, who quickly waived him. “They like that I make shots, that I make other players better, that I think the game and overall, I’ve always been know as a great teammate, a great locker room guy,” said Walton, who grew up in Detroit and played four seasons for the University of Michigan. “I think that’s going to follow me wherever I go.”
Forward Donta Hall, who has been playing for the Pistons’ G League affiliate in Grand Rapids, also signed a 10-day contract over the weekend after Markieff Morris‘ contract was bought out. Hall will provide depth in the frontcourt, at least in the short run, Keith Langlois of the team’s website relays. “Being down Markieff, he gives us another long guy inside,” Casey said. “He’s been playing well, playing hard with our G League team, giving us everything. … Won’t hesitate to play him if the situation calls for it.”
Developing Sekou Doumbouya into a star, as the Bucks did with all-world talent Giannis Antetokounmpo, is one of seven ways the Pistons can emulate Milwaukee’s blueprint for success, Matt Schoch of the Detroit News writes.

Donta Hall Signs 10-Day Deal With Pistons

February 22nd, 2020 at 3:59pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

3:59pm: The Pistons have officially announced their new 10-day deal with Hall, issuing a press release to confirm the signing. The contract will run through March 2.

2:00pm: Grand Rapids Drive forward Donta Hall has inked a 10-day contract with that G League club’s NBA affiliate, the Pistons, according to Hoops Rumors reporter JD Shaw (Twitter link).

The Pistons recently freed up roster space when they bought out forward Markieff Morris, who reportedly plans to join the Lakers, and point guard Reggie Jackson, who signed on with the Clippers for the rest of the 2019/20 season.

Hall, a 6’9″, 230-pound 22-year-old undrafted rookie out of Alabama, has averaged 16.4 points per game and 10.5 boards across 36 games for the Drive, according to Austin Kent of SLAM. Hall is connecting on 66.2% of his looks from the floor.

Detroit now has a full roster — 13 players on standard contracts, two on 10-day deals (Hall and Derrick Walton), and two on two-way pacts.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/21/20

February 21st, 2020 at 7:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Here are Friday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Pistons assigned guard Khyri Thomas to the Grand Rapids Drive, according to a team press release. Thomas has been sidelined most of the season after undergoing foot surgery. He played two early-season games with Detroit and will be playing his first G League game this season on Friday.
The Magic assigned second-year shooting guard Melvin Frazier to their Lakeland G League affiliate, according to the G League transactions log. Frazier has logged time in 14 games with the Magic this season.
The Jazz assigned and then recalled guard Rayjon Tucker from the Salt Lake City Stars, according to the G League log. Tucker has appeared in 12 games with the Jazz.

And-Ones: Pistons, Morris, Harris, Gasol

February 21st, 2020 at 3:58pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Pistons have made some interesting moves over the past few weeks, trading away Andre Drummond and agreeing to buyouts with both Reggie Jackson and Markieff Morris. The franchise appears to be in the midst of a tear-down, and as ESPN’s Bobby Marks explains (Twitter link), this offseason will be a test to see if the team has the stomach to be patient and rebuild.

Detroit is projected to have approximately $36MM in cap space this summer and what the organization does with that flexibility will go a long way toward identifying the team’s actual plans.

Here’s more from around the league:

The Lakers appear to be the favorite to sign Morris, though as Marks tweets, other teams are eligible to claim the power forward off waivers, which would void the buyout. The new team would be on the hook for his player option next season if they claim Morris. Marks adds that teams can use a trade exception to claim the veteran and the Rockets are among the teams with a large enough TPE.
Joe Harris hopes to re-sign with the Nets, as Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Harris spoke about his desire to play alongside Kevin Durant, who hasn’t suited up since signing with Brooklyn.
Marc Gasol could miss additional time with his lingering hamstring injury, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports (Twitter link). The Raptors want to make sure the big man is fully healthy before putting him back out on the court.

Pistons Buy Out Markieff Morris

February 21st, 2020 at 2:49pm CST by Luke Adams

2:49pm: The Pistons have made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve bought out Morris. He’s on track to clear waivers on Sunday.

2:32pm: Just three days after buying out point guard Reggie Jackson, the Pistons have reached a buyout agreement with another veteran contributor, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the club is buying out forward Markieff Morris.

Morris, 30, has appeared in 44 games for the Pistons this season, averaging 11.0 PPG and 3.9 RPG with a .450/.397/.772 shooting line in 22.5 minutes per contest.

Morris’ two-year contract with Detroit paid him $3.2MM this season and included a $3.36MM player option for next season. Presumably, if he had finished the season with the Pistons, he would have opted out and tested the free agent market, so it’ll be interesting to see how much money he gives up as part of the buyout agreement.

According to Charania (via Twitter), the Lakers have emerged as a frontrunner for Morris. That would add a new layer of intrigue to a potential Los Angeles showdown in the Western Conference playoffs, since the Clippers added Morris’ twin Marcus Morris in a deadline deal earlier this month.

The Raptors have also expressed interest in Markieff, Charania adds.

Pistons Sign Derrick Walton To 10-Day Deal

February 20th, 2020 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 21: The Pistons have officially signed Walton to his 10-day contract, the team announced in a press release. Detroit will open up another roster spot once Markieff Morris‘ reported buyout is complete.

FEBRUARY 20: After buying out Reggie Jackson earlier this week, the Pistons will fill the open spot on their roster by signing another point guard, Derrick Walton, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).

Walton, 24, spent most of the 2019/20 season with the Clippers, averaging 2.2 PPG and 1.0 APG in limited minutes (9.7 MPG) over 23 games for the club. However, L.A. sent him to Atlanta at the deadline in a salary-dump deal and the Hawks subsequently released him, making him a free agent.

In Detroit, Walton will have an opportunity to compete for some of the point guard minutes vacated by Jackson. It’ll also represent a homecoming for the Detroit native, who played his college ball at the University of Michigan.

If Detroit finalizes the signing of Walton today, he could be activated for tonight’s game vs. Milwaukee and the deal would run through next Saturday. He’ll earn $81,678 on the 10-day contract.

Pistons Notes: Jackson, Kennard, Thomas, Wood

February 19th, 2020 at 2:56pm CST by Luke Adams

With just 25 games left in their season, the Pistons are prioritizing developing and evaluating their young players, which is a key reason why the team was willing to buy out Reggie Jackson, sources tell James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. The agreement will save Detroit a little money, but more importantly, it will give the team a chance to get a longer look at how young players like Jordan Bone handle point guard duties, Edwards writes.

Jackson gave back a flat $800K in his buyout agreement with the Pistons, reducing his cap hit for 2019/20 to $17,286,956, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter). Detroit moves further below the tax line and has part of its mid-level exception available, Marks notes (via Twitter), so the team could use its newly-opened roster spot to sign a prospect to a three- or four-year deal before the end of the regular season.

Promoting Bone from his two-way contract to the 15-man roster would also be an option, tweets Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. However, head coach Dwane Casey suggested today that the team may start by using that open roster spot to get a look at some players on 10-day contracts (Twitter link via Langlois).

Here’s more on the Pistons:

Luke Kennard is still “a ways away” from returning, Casey said today, per Rod Beard of The Detroit News (Twitter link). Kennard, who is recovering from a knee injury, has done some contact work, but isn’t yet ready for games.
Second-year guard Khyri Thomas, who has been sidelined since late October after undergoing right foot surgery, is expected to head to the G League as part of his rehab process this week. As Beard tweets, Thomas will likely play a couple games for the Grand Rapids Drive before suiting up for the Pistons.
James L. Edwards III of The Athletic spoke to a handful of sources to try to get a feel for Christian Wood‘s value on the free agent market this summer. According to Edwards, those sources believe Wood is capable of securing a multiyear deal in the range of $5-10MM per year. Edwards suggests a three-year, $30MM contract might make both the Pistons and Wood happy.
Over at Pistons.com, Langlois passes along some more comments from Casey on what to expect from the retooling Pistons for the rest of the 2019/20 season.

Reggie Jackson Bought Out By Pistons, Plans To Join Clippers

February 18th, 2020 at 5:07pm CST by Luke Adams

5:07pm: The Pistons have issued a press release formally announcing they’ve reached a buyout agreement with Jackson and have waived him.

3:24pm: Veteran point guard Reggie Jackson has reached a buyout agreement with the Pistons, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that Jackson intends to sign with the Clippers once he clears waivers and reaches free agency.

Jackson, 29, has spent the last five years in Detroit, having been acquired from the Thunder in a three-team trade in February 2015. He signed a five-year, $80MM deal with the Pistons a few months later and is now in the final season of that contract. His buyout agreement with the club figures to slightly reduce his $18,086,956 cap hit for 2019/20.

The Pistons had hoped that giving Jackson the reins as the team’s starting point guard – after he began his career as Russell Westbrook‘s backup – would clear a path for him to develop into a star. Although the former Boston College standout had some productive seasons in Detroit, his overall numbers as a Piston (16.2 PPG, 5.6 APG, .425/.354/.851 shooting) fell short of that star level.

Jackson’s name surfaced frequently in trade rumors over the last couple years, but his rising cap hit made it difficult for the Pistons to find a deal that upgraded their roster. Even at this year’s deadline, as the team pivoted toward a rebuild and accepted a very modest package for Andre Drummond, Detroit apparently didn’t find a trade offer it liked for Jackson.

With the Pistons headed for a lottery finish, there was little incentive to keep Jackson around for the rest of the season. He’ll now finish the year with the Clippers, who have until this Saturday to sign a player and get back to the 14-player roster minimum.

As Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN notes (via Twitter), L.A. could still use a defensive wing or a rim protector, but Jackson will give the team another ball-handler and a veteran scorer off the bench.

The Lakers and Clippers, who were poised to compete for Darren Collison if he had opted to come out of retirement, were each said to be in the market for a point guard. Wojnarowski confirms (via Twitter) that the Lakers also had interest in Jackson — they’ll have to look elsewhere if they still hope to address the position.

[RELATED: 2020 NBA Buyout Market Watch]

Jackson had still been owed $5.7MM of his ’19/20 salary, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. While we don’t know the exact terms of the buyout agreement, the veteran guard likely agreed to give back a prorated portion of the minimum salary. If he’s officially released by the Pistons today and joins the Clippers on Thursday, he’d make $734,025 on his new contract, with a $512,721 cap charge.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pistons May Hold On To Reggie Jackson

February 13th, 2020 at 5:27pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Oft-injured Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson is in the final season of his five-year, $80MM contract, but the Pistons may not want to buy him out due to their limited options at his position, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.

Pistons Notes: Doumbouya, Thomas, Knight, Rose

February 11th, 2020 at 9:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Rookie forward Sekou Doumbouya is buried in a shooting slump, but that’s not why the Pistons are concerned about him, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press relays. The first-round pick, who grew up in France, is struggling to adjust off the court and seems unhappy on it. He’s shooting 28.1% from the field over his last 13 appearances following a 24-point outing against Boston.

“I’ve got to be the papa bear and stay on him and make sure he’s doing the right things, but nothing takes the place of having fun and the joy of playing basketball,” coach Dwane Casey said, “I know there is a culture barrier, but he’s got to continue to play hard, play with passion.”

We have more on the Pistons:

Second-year guard Khyri Thomas, who has been sidelined since late October after undergoing right foot surgery, has returned to practice, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com tweets. Thomas, a second-round pick, appeared in 26 games during his rookie campaign but only played in two games this season before the foot issue cropped up. He has a partially guaranteed $1.66MM salary for next season.
Point guard Brandon Knight said he’s “excited” to re-join the team that drafted him, Langlois writes. Knight was one of the players acquired in the Andre Drummond deal with Cleveland on Thursday. His second stint may only last a couple of months, as Knight has an expiring contract. But Casey said the veteran guard will get some playing time to show what he can add to the team. “It’s a great opportunity for us to get a look at him and him to look at us at the same time,” Casey said.
Point guard Derrick Rose and shooting guard Svi Mykhailiuk could return against Orlando on Wednesday, according to Ellis. Neither has played since February 2 due to an adductor strain and a hip injury, respectively.