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Lakers, Pistons Among Teams With Roster Moves Still To Make

October 21st, 2019 at 8:42am CST by Luke Adams

NBA teams have until 5:00pm eastern time today to set their rosters for the 2019/20 regular season. Clubs can continue to make roster moves after that deadline, but when the clock strikes five, no team will be permitted to have more than 15 players on standard contracts and two on two-way deals.

[RELATED: 2019/20 NBA Roster Counts]

Currently, there are seven teams that haven’t yet reached that regular-season limit. One of those seven teams, the Rockets, will reportedly convert Chris Clemons‘ standard contract to a two-way deal today, making official a move that was reported last Thursday.

Two other clubs will make similar moves — the Raptors and Wizards are each carrying 16 players on standard contracts but have open two-way contract slots. Toronto is expected to convert Oshae Brissett to a two-way deal, while Washington will likely do the same for Chris Chiozza.

That leaves just four teams with actual cuts to make. Here’s a breakdown of those four clubs:

  • Detroit Pistons (16 standard contracts, 2 two-way contracts): The Pistons have 14 players with fully guaranteed salaries and intend to retain Christian Wood, who is on a non-guaranteed contract. That means they’ll have to either waive Joe Johnson – their other non-guaranteed player – or find a trade that allows them to create room on the regular-season roster for Johnson.
  • Los Angeles Lakers (17 standard contracts, 2 two-way contracts): In addition to their 14 players with guaranteed salaries, the Lakers are also carrying Dwight Howard, Devontae Cacok, and Demetrius Jackson. I’d be shocked if anyone but Howard claims the 15th roster spot, but we’ll see what the team’s plans are for Cacok and Jackson. Theoretically, each of them could be converted to a two-way contract, but current two-way players Zach Norvell Jr. and/or Kostas Antetokounmpo would have to be waived in that scenario.
  • Minnesota Timberwolves (16 standard contracts, 2 two-way contracts): The Timberwolves have 15 players with guaranteed salaries, leaving Tyrone Wallace and his non-guaranteed contract as the most likely odd man out. If Minnesota decides to keep Wallace, it would need to trade or release a player with a guaranteed deal.
  • Utah Jazz (16 standard contracts, 2 two-way contracts): The Jazz have four players without fully guaranteed salaries, but two of those players – Royce O’Neale and Georges Niang – are presumably locks to stick around. Utah’s decision figures to come down to Stanton Kidd vs. William Howard. Kidd $250K partial guarantee is more substantial than Howard’s $50K, which may help give him the upper hand.

It’s possible that a few more teams will make roster changes today, but the league’s other 23 clubs are currently at or below the regular-season maximum.

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Pistons To Retain Christian Wood

October 20th, 2019 at 1:39pm CST by clarkcrum

The Pistons do not intend to waive forward Christian Wood, opting instead to reward the 24-year-old with a regular season roster spot for his strong preseason play, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

With the decision to keep Wood in the fold, Detroit now has some roster maneuvering to do, as they still have 16 players on their regular season roster with tomorrow’s deadline looming after making a series of cuts this morning.

As we relayed about a week ago, the Pistons have been seeking a trade that would allow them to keep both Wood and veteran guard Joe Johnson. In response to Haynes’ report, Rod Beard of The Detroit News opined that a trade still seems to be in the works.

Wood, who has been waived by both the Bucks and Pelicans in 2019, has now seen a successful preseason turn into a regular season roster spot. The UNLV product holds career averages of 9.9 MPG, 5.3 PPG, and 2.9 RPG in 51 NBA contests.

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Pistons Waive Four Players

October 20th, 2019 at 8:30am CST by Arthur Hill

The Pistons trimmed their roster by waiving guards Dakarai Allen and Tra-Deon Hollins and forwards Donta Hall and Tre’Shawn Thurman, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

Hall signed with Detroit in July after going undrafted out of Alabama. He played for the Pistons’ Summer League team and saw limited action in three preseason games. Thurman signed on Friday and is expected to become an affiliate player for the Pistons’ G League team in Grand Rapids.

Allen has spent the past two seasons in the G League and was traded to Grand Rapids in January. Hollins has played in both the G League and in Canada.

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Pistons Sign Tre’Shawn Thurman, Cut Craig Sword

October 18th, 2019 at 11:03am CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have made another minor change to the back of their roster, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed forward Tre’Shawn Thurman and released guard Craig Sword.

After starting his college career at Omaha, Thurman transferred to Nevada for his senior season. He averaged 8.2 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 1.1 SPG in 34 games (26.3 MPG) for the Wolf Pack in 2018/19.

While Sword is expected to join the Grand Rapids Drive – Detroit’s G League team – as a returning-rights player, Thurman will likely be designated as an affiliate player after he’s waived.

The Pistons currently have 20 players under contract and will have until Monday to get down to a maximum of 17 (including two-way players) for the regular season.

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Pistons Sign Craig Sword, Waive Todd Withers

October 17th, 2019 at 10:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have made a minor change to their roster, announcing tonight in a press release that they’ve signed guard Craig Sword and waived forward Todd Withers.

Sword, who played college ball at Mississippi State, went undrafted in 2016 and has spent much of his professional career since then playing for the Erie BayHawks in the G League.

After averaging 9.5 PPG and 3.3 RPG in 49 games (23.7 MPG) for Erie in 2018/19, the 25-year-old had his NBAGL rights traded to the Grand Rapids Drive – Detroit’s G League affiliate – last month.

That trade and today’s signing signal that Sword – like Withers – will join the Drive for the coming season as a returning-rights player. His deal with the Pistons figures to be an Exhibit 10 contract, which will put him in line to earn a bonus worth up to $50K after he spends at least 60 days in Grand Rapids.

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Pistons Exercise Luke Kennard’s 2020/21 Option

October 17th, 2019 at 7:28pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Pistons have exercised Luke Kennard‘s fourth-year option, as Rod Beard of The Detroit News relays. Kennard is slated to make $5.3MM during the 2020/21 season.

The shooting guard was selected with the No. 12 pick in the 2017 draft. He started 10 games for the Pistons last season.

Kennard is one of just five players on the team with a guaranteed contract for the 2020/21 campaign. Blake Griffin, Derrick Rose, Sekou Doumbouya, and Khyri Thomas are the four others.

 

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Pistons Rumors: Galloway, Griffin, Ntilikina

October 17th, 2019 at 2:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons are “very open” to the idea of trading Langston Galloway, two league sources tell Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. Ellis had recently identified Galloway as one of the most likely players to be dealt if Detroit attempts to keep both Christian Wood and Joe Johnson on its 15-man regular season roster.

According to Ellis, the Pistons have engaged potential trade partners on Galloway for months, but have been unable to find a suitable deal. Although he’s on an expiring contract, the veteran guard’s $7.33MM salary is somewhat exorbitant, making him tricky to move.

As we wait to see if the Pistons can find a taker on Galloway, here are a couple more rumors out of Detroit from Ellis:

  • If things go south for the Pistons in 2019/20 and Blake Griffin remains healthy, the star forward could represent an opportunity for a “franchise reset” via the trade market, says Ellis. According to Ellis, there’s a belief around the NBA that going in that direction is a real possibility for Detroit if the team falls out of the playoff hunt. A league source tells the Free Press that the Pistons could reasonably expect a first-round pick and another asset back for a healthy Griffin. However, I expect that would be a last resort for the club.
  • Having previously reported that the Pistons may have some interest in Frank Ntilikina, Ellis cites sources who say that Detroit has made inquiries on the Knicks’ guard. It appears as though those inquiries have failed to gain traction though, Ellis adds.
  • Within that same article, Ellis notes that the Pistons also explored the possibility of trading for young point guards Dennis Smith Jr. and Markelle Fultz before last season’s trade deadline. Smith and Fultz were ultimately sent to the Knicks and Magic, respectively, leaving Detroit on the lookout for young prospects at the point guard spot. The team may give Bruce Brown some minutes at the position to gauge his potential there.
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2019 Offseason In Review: Detroit Pistons

October 15th, 2019 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2019 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2019/20 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Detroit Pistons.

Signings:

  • Standard contracts:
    • Derrick Rose: Two years, $15MM. Signed using mid-level exception.
    • Markieff Morris: Two years, $6.56MM. Second-year player option. Signed using bi-annual exception.
    • Tim Frazier: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
    • Joe Johnson: One year, minimum salary. Partially guaranteed ($220K). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Two-way contracts:
  • Non-guaranteed camp contracts:

Trades:

  • Acquired Tony Snell and the draft rights to Kevin Porter Jr. (No. 30 pick) from the Bucks in exchange for Jon Leuer.
  • Acquired the Jazz’s 2020 second-round pick, the Trail Blazers’ 2021 second-round pick, the Trail Blazers’ 2023 second-round pick, the Heat’s 2024 second-round pick (top-55 protected), and cash ($5MM) from the Cavaliers in exchange for the draft rights to Kevin Porter Jr. (No. 30 pick).
  • Acquired the draft rights to Deividas Sirvydis (No. 37 pick) from the Mavericks in exchange for the draft rights to Isaiah Roby (No. 45 pick), the Jazz’s 2020 second-round pick, and the Trail Blazers’ 2021 second-round pick.
  • Acquired the draft rights to Jordan Bone (No. 57 pick) from the Sixers in exchange for the Heat’s 2024 second-round pick (top-55 protected) and cash ($2MM).

Draft picks:

  • 1-15: Sekou Doumbouya — Signed to rookie contract.
  • 2-37: Deividas Sirvydis — Will play overseas.
  • 2-55: Jordan Bone — Signed to two-way contract.

Waiver claims:

  • Christian Wood (from Pelicans): One year, minimum salary contract. Claimed using minimum salary exception.

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

  • Agreement with Michael Beasley fell through.
  • Lost executive Sachin Gupta to Timberwolves.
  • Hired Donnie Tyndall as head coach of G League affiliate (Grand Rapids Drive).
  • Announced plan to move G League team to downtown Detroit in 2021/22.
  • Opened new $90MM training facility and corporate headquarters in downtown Detroit.

Salary cap situation:

  • Remained over the cap.
  • Hard-capped.
  • Carrying approximately $130.98MM in guaranteed salary.
  • $1.94MM of mid-level exception still available (used $7.32MM on Derrick Rose).
  • $423K of bi-annual exception still available (used $3.2MM on Markieff Morris).
  • Two traded player exceptions available; largest TPE ($2.5MM) expires 2/6/20.

Story of the summer:

Since acquiring Blake Griffin prior to the 2018 trade deadline, the Pistons have had little flexibility to make changes to the supporting cast around their new star player. Griffin’s massive contract restricts Detroit’s maneuverability to some extent, but the veteran forward earned his pay check in 2018/19, putting up some of the best numbers of his career and finding his way back onto the All-Star and All-NBA teams for the first time since 2015.

It’s the Pistons’ other highly-priced players who have hampered the team’s flexibility to a greater extent. Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson will earn a combined $45MM+ during the 2019/20 season, joining Griffin to form a de facto “Big Three” in Detroit. But you could make a case that Drummond isn’t among the NBA’s 10 best centers, while Jackson isn’t one of the league’s best 15 point guards.

Drummond and Jackson are probably more valuable to the Pistons than they would be as trade chips, so the club once again stuck with both players through the 2019 offseason. But with their contracts – and Griffin’s – still on the books, Detroit’s ability to make meaningful upgrades to other parts of the roster was limited.

The Pistons did manage to move Jon Leuer‘s oversized contract, but only to acquire another pricey role player in Tony Snell. The team also made use of its mid-level and bi-annual exceptions to bring in Derrick Rose and Markieff Morris. Rose is a former MVP and had a strong bounce-back season in 2018/19, but has had trouble staying healthy in recent years. Injuries were an issue for Morris last season too.

Given their lack of cap room, the Pistons probably did about as well as they could to add high-upside veterans to the mix this offseason. But the team still doesn’t look like an upper-echelon contender in the Eastern Conference and may need to make more drastic changes to its roster in the future to realistically jump into that tier.

Read more

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Casey Wants Team To Keep Firing

October 14th, 2019 at 10:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pacers’ first-round pick Goga Bitadze will make his preseason debut on Tuesday, Mark Monteith of the team’s website relays. The Euro big man missed the first three preseason games with an ankle injury. He’s slated as the main backup at center with Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis projected as starters. “That’s kind of where we’ve got him at,” coach Nate McMillan said. “We’ll see as we get into the season what the rotation is going to look like.”

We have more from the Central Division:

  • Cavaliers rookie Darius Garland could wind up in the starting lineup with Collin Sexton in a dual point guard backcourt, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. Garland has come off the bench thus far in the preseason but that could change with coach John Beilein continuing to tinker with various lineups. “If he’s able to practice enough and earn it, I have no qualms about that at all,” Beilein said. “But there’s a certain process you have to go through to be that starting point guard and whatever it’s going to take. We will get him in when we think it’s best for the team to win.”
  • Pistons coach Dwane Casey wants to see his team take 40% of its shots from beyond the arc, Keith Langlois of the team’s website relays. Like many teams, Detroit attempted a franchise record number of 3-pointers last season and Casey wants to continue that trend. Their backup bigs, including Markieff Morris, will help the Pistons achieve that goal. “We want to stay around 40,” Casey said. “We want to continue to get up more corner threes as much as possible. Our slot threes were up, but we were getting a fair amount of corner threes. We’ve got to continue to do that and put pressure on the basket.”
  • The Bucks added veteran guard Kyle Korver as another perimeter option but coach Mike Budenholzer sees Korver providing assistance in other areas, according to Ben Steele of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Korver signed a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal in July. “All the little things he does,” Budenholzer said. “Competing and screening. Getting hits on the defensive boards. I think we’re really excited about how he is going to make us better this year.”
  • Zach LaVine is eager to shed his reputation as a subpar defender, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times relays. LaVine has been challenged to become a better two-way player by Bulls coach Jim Boylen. ‘‘I’m just tired of people talking [poorly] about my defense,’’ LaVine said. ‘‘I’ve always been a good on-ball defender. But there’s no reason I can be this good offensively and not be that good on the defensive end. So I’m taking more pride in it. I’m pretty sure it’ll show.”
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Pistons Exploring Trades, May Keep Wood, Johnson

October 14th, 2019 at 9:23pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons are seeking a trade that would allow them to keep both big man Christian Wood and veteran forward Joe Johnson, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press writes.

That duo came into training camp vying for the final roster spot but circumstances may change.

Langston Galloway or Khyri Thomas are the most likely players to be moved in order to free up a roster spot, according to Ellis. The Pistons have 14 players, including Galloway and Thomas, with fully guaranteed contracts.

Wood’s contract guarantees at $822,679 if he makes the opening night roster, while Johnson would receive a $1.37MM guarantee if he’s still with the team coming out of training camp. Wood’s $1.65MM contract and Johnson’s $2.56MM deal become fully guaranteed if they’re still on the roster beyond January 10.

Wood was claimed off waivers from the Bucks and has put up impressive numbers in a couple of preseason appearances. Coach Dwane Casey has been impressed by the way Wood has conducted himself beyond the court. Wood would battle Thon Maker for backup duties at center if he sticks.

“Christian’s thing is just maturity,” Casey told Ellis and other reporters. “He’s done a great job of being on time, being where he’s supposed to be, doing what he’s supposed to do, being disciplined, because if he (had done it before), he wouldn’t be here. He’d still be with Milwaukee or somebody.”

Johnson, the MVP of the BIG3 league this summer, could provide depth at both forward spots. Detroit’s final two preseason games this week will help determine whether the Pistons keep both Wood and Johnson, according to the Detroit News’ Rod Beard, who also confirms the front office has been exploring the trade market.

Galloway has an expiring $7.33MM contract, which would hold some appeal. Thomas, a second-year player, is making $1.42MM. Galloway is considered a rotation player by Casey but the Pistons have numerous options at the wing positions and will also pair up point guards Reggie Jackson and Derrick Rose at times.

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