- Within a mailbag, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic considers whether the probability of fans not being in arenas for 2020/21 should influence the Pistons‘ roster decisions at all this offseason — not having to worry about selling tickets to 41 home games means the team could be more willing to bottom out.
The Pistons‘ new G League affiliate will be known as the Motor City Cruise, the team announced today in a press release. The club, which will have its inaugural season in 2021/22, will play its games at Wayne State University.
The Grand Rapids Drive are Detroit’s current NBAGL affiliate and will continue to hold that role in 2020/21 — assuming there is a G League season. However, the Pistons don’t own the Grand Rapids franchise and the affiliate agreement between the two teams expires in ’21. The Pistons wanted their G League team to be located closer to the NBA squad, and the Drive had indicated they weren’t interested in moving to downtown Detroit.
As a result, the Pistons purchased the Suns’ NBAGL affiliate – the Northern Arizona Suns – in July and intend to relocate and rebrand that team. After spending one more season as Phoenix’s affiliate, it’ll move to downtown Detroit and become the Motor City Cruise for ’21/22.
The Pistons solicited fan submissions in choosing the name of their new G League affiliate and ultimately opted for the Cruise, which pays homage to the city’s automotive industry and was submitted by 10 fans.
“After considering many clever submissions, we are excited to announce the Motor City Cruise as the next professional sports franchise for the city of Detroit,” team owner Tom Gores said in a statement. “We wanted Pistons fans to help us with the naming process and engage with our new brand from the beginning. Our new G League team will create an affordable entertainment option in Detroit and also play an important role in our player development goals.”
- The Pistons have added former Pacers scout Jason Buckner as their director of scouting, per J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star. The Detroit front office has been drastically reorganized since Troy Weaver was hired as the team’s general manager earlier during the offseason.
Alabama’s Kira Lewis Jr. is generating some buzz among teams in the top half of the first round, according to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report, who hears that Lewis has worked out in person for the Magic, Knicks, Pistons, and Bulls within the last week. A previous report indicated that Lewis has had multiple virtual interviews with Phoenix as well.
- In addition to the Pistons and Knicks, point guard Killian Hayes is also receiving interest from the Hawks and Kings, per Wasserman.
- Florida State big man Patrick Williams is among the prospects in play for the Pistons at No. 7, Wasserman writes.
The Pistons can be reasonably certain about five prospects who won’t drop to them at the No. 7 overall pick, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. From the way the draft is shaping up, Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman, LaMelo Ball, Obi Toppin and Deni Avdija — in no particular order — will be off the board. The player that Detroit drafts could be predicated by which player goes at the No. 6 pick, which the Hawks currently own. Although the Pistons are open to trading up or down, those deals are difficult to pull off for teams picking in the middle of the lottery, Langlois adds.
We have more from the Central Division:
- While Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s decision on whether to sign an extension looms over the Bucks franchise, Milwaukee has several other issues to ponder this offseason and it seeks ways to advance deeper into the playoffs. The Athletic’s Danny Leroux takes a look at the team’s cap and roster situation and concludes that the front office will be seeking depth players and young talent in free agency and potential trades. Retaining Wesley Matthews, who is likely to decline his $2.69MM option, is another priority, Leroux adds.
- Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas should try his best to trade down in the draft, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago opines. With Edwards, Wiseman and Ball likely to go in the first three picks, the Bulls are in a pivotal position at No. 4. If another team covets a player at that spot, they could pick up another asset or two in a trade. With the likelihood of having 12 guaranteed contracts along with decisions to make on three restricted free agents, Chicago also has roster issues to consider, Johnson adds.
- Toppin appears to be high on the Cavaliers’ draft board. Get the details here.
Kevin O’Connor’s latest update to his 2020 NBA mock draft at the Ringer includes several intriguing tidbits about which way certain teams might be leaning and which players are generating interest at certain spots.
We’ve already passed on a couple of those notes, relaying word that the Hawks have made the No. 6 pick available and that the Bulls are believed to be eyeing play-makers at No. 4. Here are a few more of the highlights from The Ringer’s mock:
- Rumblings around the NBA suggest that the Warriors (No. 2) and Hornets (No. 3) both “covet” former Memphis center James Wiseman, according to O’Connor. If Wiseman is atop each team’s draft board, that means Charlotte might have to trade up to No. 1 to have a shot at him.
- There’s a belief in league circles that the Cavaliers (No. 5) are high on former Dayton forward Obi Toppin, says O’Connor. That lines up with what we’ve heard in recent weeks from Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who reported on Monday that the Cavs will privately work out Toppin this week.
- Sources tell O’Connor that the Pistons (No. 7) are interested in play-makers. Former Iowa State guard Tyrese Haliburton is one prospect who has been linked frequently to Detroit in mock drafts.
- Serbian big man Aleksej Pokusevski has been linked to the Thunder (No. 25) by two separate sources whom O’Connor has spoken to in the past week. Pokusevski may not quite be NBA-ready, but his upside would make him a logical fit for an OKC team that may be entering a rebuild, O’Connor observes.
- O’Connor also reiterates a point he has made in previous iterations of his mock draft, citing multiple sources who say that former Stanford guard Tyrell Terry is generating buzz as a potential mid-first-round pick.
- Killian Hayes might be a great fit for the Pistons with their lottery pick, Matt Babcock of BabcockHoops.com tells Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. The overseas prospect is ranked No. 9 by ESPN and Detroit has the No. 7 pick but Hayes would fill a need at the point. “I think he’s a guy that could end up being sort of a lead playmaker, primary ball-handler and somewhat of a dynamic player,” Babcock told Sankofa.
The Pistons may be rebuilding, but they don’t expect it to be a long process, writes Keith Langlois of NBA.com. There’s optimism throughout the organization that Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose will both be healthy when training camp opens, giving the team a veteran foundation to guide its young players.
Griffin underwent knee surgery in January, but there have been “glowing” reports about his progress over the summer, according to Langlois. The veteran forward has regained confidence in his knee and remains in top condition. Langlois adds that Rose has also benefited from the extra long offseason.
Sekou Doumbouya, Luke Kennard, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and Bruce Brown were all impressive at the team’s mini-camp, and the Pistons have the chance to add to the mix with $30MM in cap space and the seventh pick in next month’s draft. The hiring of general manager Troy Weaver, who has a track record of identifying young talent, adds to the optimism in Detroit.
There’s more on the Central Division:
- The Knicks may be the best option for the Cavaliers if they decide to trade Andre Drummond, according to Chris Sheridan of Basketball News. New York has enough cap space to facilitate the deal and could offer role players on expiring contracts – Reggie Bullock, Wayne Ellington, Taj Gibson and Elfrid Payton – if Cleveland wants any of them. Sheridan mentions the Hornets, Pistons, Hawks, Heat and Suns as other possibilities.
- Josh Oppenheimer will return to the Bucks as an assistant coach, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Most recently an assistant at James Madison, Oppenheimer worked for Milwaukee from 2013-16, serving on the staffs of Larry Drew and Jason Kidd. He was also an assistant for the Rockets and the Long Island Nets of the G League. Oppenheimer is known as the “shot doctor” and worked extensively with Giannis Antetokounmpo early in his career, notes Matt Velasquez of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link).
- K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago ranks the Bulls who are least likely to return next season. He puts guard Shaquille Harrison at the top of the list, believing the potential restricted free agent would be “redundant” if Chicago makes a qualifying offer to Kris Dunn. Veteran forward Thaddeus Young, who has just a partial guarantee beyond next season, is second, followed by guard Denzel Valentine, another potential restricted free agent who couldn’t get regular playing time under former coach Jim Boylen, but displayed strong leadership skills during mini-camp.
Coming off a down year in which he was limited to just 18 ineffective games due to a knee injury, Pistons forward Blake Griffin is owed $36.8MM in 2020/21, with a player option worth nearly $39MM for ’21/22. As a result of that onerous contract, he’s not expected to be the most popular player on the trade market this offseason.
Still, on his Lowe Post podcast this week, ESPN’s Zach Lowe said that people around the NBA are keeping an eye on Griffin and asking Lowe what he’s hearing about the six-time All-Star. That doesn’t mean that the Pistons will get positive value in a trade for Griffin – or that they’ll move him at all this fall – but Lowe doesn’t believe that clubs have given up on the 31-year-old.
“I’ve had enough teams ask me about Blake Griffin that I think there’s still interest in what he can do to help you win,” Lowe said (hat tip to RealGM).
With Lowe’s comments in mind, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic put together some trade ideas involving Griffin and had his colleague John Hollinger evaluate each hypothetical proposal. Edwards cautions that he doesn’t think the Pistons are particularly eager to trade Griffin, but puts forth a few scenarios involving Golden State, Sacramento, Brooklyn, and Phoenix.
Here’s more from around the Central:
- Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press considers the three directions the Pistons could go with Christian Wood‘s free agency, weighing the pros and cons of re-signing Wood, letting him walk, or signing-and-trading him to a new team.
- In a conversation with Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, Cavaliers center Andre Drummond said his new team “did a really, really good job” of making him feel comfortable after he was acquired from Detroit in February. Although Drummond talked as if he’s preparing to be with the Cavs next season, he was evasive when repeatedly asked by Fedor about his upcoming player option decision and potential free agency, claiming that he’s “not really thinking about it” yet.
- With the Bucks expected to be aggressive in seeking roster upgrades this offseason, Eric Nehm of The Athletic assesses a series of trade ideas from his readers, determining which team would balk at each hypothetical proposal.
The Pistons and Bulls are among the teams expected to have interest in free agent Heat swingman Derrick Jones this offseason, a source tells Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
Jackson also identifies Atlanta as a potential suitor for Jones, which is something we’ve heard before. Shams Charania reported last week that Jones is expected to receive interest from the Hawks, Cavaliers, and Hornets, among other clubs.
Jones is coming off a season in which he averaged 8.5 PPG and 3.9 RPG in 59 games (23.3 MPG) for the eventual Eastern Conference champions. He’s also a strong perimeter defender, having held the opponents he guarded in 2019/20 to a field goal percentage of just 40.8%, according to Jackson.
Jones fell out of Miami’s rotation during the postseason, but Jackson explains that a number of factors played a part in that decision. Health was a big one, as Jones contracted COVID-19 in June, suffered a neck injury in a scary fall during the seeding games, then sprained his ankle in the first round of the playoffs. Erik Spoelstra‘s decision to ride veterans Jae Crowder and Andre Iguodala as he shortened his rotation also helped push Jones out of the mix.
The Heat’s top priorities in free agency this fall figure to be re-signing Crowder and Goran Dragic to new deals, and it’s possible Jones’ role reduction in the playoffs will dampen his enthusiasm for a reunion with the club. If that’s the case, he should have plenty of options, as Charania’s and Jackson’s report suggest. His next contract seems unlikely to exceed the mid-level, so over-the-cap teams will be in play.
While I expect Jones to generate interest from some playoff teams, it’s probably not a coincidence that all of his reported suitors so far are younger clubs coming off lottery seasons. At age 23, the former UNLV standout projects to be one of the NBA’s youngest unrestricted free agents this offseason, and he’ll likely have a better chance of playing a regular role on a roster that’s not loaded with veterans.