Detroit Pistons Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Cunningham, Middleton, Rivers, Williams

February 25th, 2024 at 7:04pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cade Cunningham knows he won’t get more individual accolades until the Pistons turn things around, he told James Edwards III of The Athletic. Cunningham has put up solid stats after missing most of last season due to a shin injury but Detroit has won just eight games.

“With how the league is, we reward winning,” Cunningham said. “People are going to say everything I’m doing is empty and meaningless until I win games. That’s what I plan on doing.”

Cunningham is eligible to sign a rookie scale extension this offseason. He’s averaging 22.2 points and 7.4 assists per game, and it would be a surprise if Detroit doesn’t make a max offer to the 2021 No. 1 pick.

“I don’t do the comparison thing as far as me to these other players. I know that I’m that level of being an All-Star, but I haven’t won enough games. I respect that,” Cunningham said. “I know that once I do that, all the other stuff will come with it.”

We have more from the Central Division:

Khris Middleton didn’t play in the Bucks’ 21-point victory over Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon but it shouldn’t be long before he returns to the lineup, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets. The veteran wing hasn’t played since the All-Star break due to a left ankle sprain. “He’s getting closer. I don’t know if I’m going to say close enough that we could think next game, but he’s getting a lot closer. He’s feeling a lot better,” coach Doc Rivers said.
Speaking of Rivers, Jamal Collier of ESPN details the coach’s first month since replacing Adrian Griffin as the Bucks‘ head coach. Rivers revealed that he said in a phone conversation with his brother that he felt “full” again after returning from his broadcasting job to the sidelines. “I missed it more than I thought,” Rivers said. “I thought I may not do this again. If the right job [didn’t come up] I wasn’t doing it. … Then the first day … man, I felt like I was at home again. I didn’t know that. I just felt normal. Good. I felt full. You’ve got to be full when you’re working and I felt full.”
Patrick Williams‘ future is cloudy after word broke that he’ll need season-ending foot surgery. The Bulls forward will be a restricted free agent this offseason unless the front office doesn’t give him a $12.97MM qualifying offer. Williams told The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry he’s not overly concerned about what the offseason will bring. “I know what I showed when I was healthy this season,” he said. “I think I know who I am as a player and what I’m capable of as a player. So, ‘nervous’ isn’t the word. I’m kind of excited to see what happens. And just ready to get back to playing.”

Pistons Notes: Williams, Rotation, Wiseman, Grimes

February 24th, 2024 at 8:20am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Pistons went 11 deep into their rotation through the first 13 minutes of their Thursday loss to the Pacers. According to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, it felt like Detroit was auditioning for players who might be on next season’s roster, even though coach Monty Williams denied that was the case a day earlier.

“I’m not going to be throwing combinations on the floor to just be looking at certain combinations,” Williams said Wednesday. “We’re done with that, in my opinion. We’re trying to develop guys, for sure, but we’re going to try and win every game we can so that we can create what we feel [will give us momentum] going into the summer.”

In Edwards’ view, it doesn’t feel like there’s much synergy with the rotations Williams is putting on the floor. If the team is prioritizing winning, Edwards writes, it doesn’t make sense that James Wiseman is earning minutes over Mike Muscala and there’s been no staggering the minutes of franchise guards Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey. But it doesn’t feel like development is the priority in the rotation either, according to Edwards, because rookie Marcus Sasser played fewer minutes than Evan Fournier and Malachi Flynn.

The deep rotations and new faces are making it difficult for any consistency to develop in Detroit and too many minutes are being given to players who might not be on the roster next season, Edwards writes.

In response to questions surrounding his 11-man rotation on Thursday, Williams explained that he told the coaches he’d prefer to run with about nine rotation players but Sasser bumped his knee and that’s why he ended up using Flynn more (Twitter link via Omari Sankofa II of Detroit Free Press).

We have more Pistons notes:

Williams also explained his decision to play Wiseman over Muscala (Twitter link via Sankofa). “I like what he’s giving us, especially on the defensive side,” Williams said of the former No. 2 overall pick. According to Sankofa, Williams said that the rim protection Wiseman provides is more important when smaller guards like Sasser and Flynn are on the floor.
Wiseman is hoping to shed the bust label he picked up after being traded away for a modest return at the 2023 deadline after he was drafted second overall in 2020, according to FOX Sports’ Melissa Rohlin. “I believe I can be a great player,” Wiseman said. His career has been derailed by a combination of injuries, illness and a lack of NBA preparedness, Rohlin writes.
Quentin Grimes, acquired by the Pistons at the deadline, is listed as probable ahead of their Saturday matchup against Orlando, according to Sankofa (Twitter link). Grimes hasn’t played since being traded due to a right knee sprain, but averaged 8.6 points per game while connecting on 37.9% of his three-pointers in his first three seasons in the league.

Pistons Officially Confirm Reported Roster Moves

February 23rd, 2024 at 11:29am CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have officially issued a press release (Twitter link) to formally confirm that three previously reported roster moves have been finalized. Those roster moves are as follows:

Promoted Stanley Umude to a standard contract (story)
Signed Buddy Boeheim to a two-way contract (story)
Signed Tosan Evbuomwan to a two-way contract (story)

All three transactions were reported on Thursday, but Evbuomwan’s 10-day contract with Detroit was still active through last night’s game in Indiana, so the team waited an extra day for it to expire before essentially swapping his and Umude’s spots on the 18-man roster. Boeheim’s two-way deal was completed at the same time.

The Pistons now have a full squad, with Umude taking the 15th spot on the standard roster while Evbuomwan and Boeheim join Jared Rhoden as Detroit’s two-way players.

A player who signs a two-way contract during the season is subject to a prorated portion of the usual 50-game limit, so Evbuomwan and Boeheim will each be eligible to be active for up to 15 of the team’s remaining NBA games this season.

For more information on the three players involved in the Pistons’ latest transactions, be sure to check out our previous full stories on each move.

Fontecchio, Cunningham Among Players To Watch

February 22nd, 2024 at 7:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The impact of Simone Fontecchio and other recent additions to the Pistons’ roster will be one of the storylines to watch for the remainder of their season, according to Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. Whether Cade Cunningham continues to put up strong numbers after a slow start is another thing to keep an eye on, Sankofa adds.

Tosan Evbuomwan To Sign Two-Way Deal With Pistons

February 22nd, 2024 at 3:47pm CST by Rory Maher

With his 10-day deal set to expire, Tosan Evbuomwan is re-signing with the Pistons on a two-way contract, agent George Langberg tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Evbuomwan will take the two-way slot previously held by Stanley Umude, who is being promoted to a standard deal, so the two players are essentially swapping spots on the Pistons’ roster.

After going undrafted out of Princeton, Evbuomwan signed an Exhibit 10 deal with Detroit, later being waived to earn a bonus for playing for the team’s NBAGL affiliate, the Motor City Cruise.

He has spent most of the 2023/24 season with the Cruise, but has also played in five NBA games with the Grizzlies and the Pistons while on 10-day contracts.

In 29 games with the Cruise, Evbuomwan has averaged 15.1 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 34.5 minutes per game.

Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart Suspended Three Games Without Pay

February 22nd, 2024 at 3:40pm CST by Rory Maher

3:40pm: The misdemeanor assault charge against Stewart has been dismissed after prosecutors declined to pursue the case, tweets Baxter Holmes of ESPN. That explains why the NBA handed out a suspension today, since the league typically doesn’t act until the legal process has played out.

Stewart will lose $108,966 as part of his three-game suspension, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).

3:17pm: Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart has been suspended three games without pay for initiating an altercation with Suns big man Drew Eubanks prior to last week’s game in Phoenix, the NBA announced (via Twitter).

Stewart punched and pushed Eubanks during the incident, per the league’s statement. His suspension is expected to begin on Thursday vs. Indiana, as Detroit’s forward/center was set to be active tonight for the first time in several weeks after dealing with an ankle sprain.

Eubanks said he was sucker-punched in the face by Stewart in the hallway of the Footprint Center shortly after arriving at the arena, though he wasn’t injured and was able to suit up for the Suns’ victory last Wednesday. Stewart was arrested on a misdemeanor assault charge and issued a citation before being released.

Stewart, 22, is averaging 11.0 PPG and 6.8 RPG on .470/.374/.746 shooting in 35 games (30.6 MPG) this season for the Pistons, who hold the worst record in the league at 8-46.

Pistons Converting Stanley Umude To Standard Contract

February 22nd, 2024 at 3:35pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pistons plan to give Stanley Umude a promotion, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the second-year guard/forward will have his two-way contract converted into a standard two-year deal.

Umude, 24, has appeared in 17 games this season for Detroit, averaging 5.2 points and 1.8 rebounds on .481/.548/.917 shooting in 11.2 minutes per contest. He has also played 22 games (32.6 minutes) for the Pistons’ G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise, averaging 17.1 points and 5.8 rebounds on .397/.345/.774 shooting.

Umude went undrafted in 2022 out of Arkansas and spent training camp with Detroit, spending most of his rookie campaign with the Cruise. He made one appearance with the Pistons last season while on a 10-day deal.

The Pistons have been busy on Thursday, having reached agreements to sign Cruise member Buddy Boeheim to a two-way deal, convert Umude to a standard contract, and give Tosan Evbuomwan the two-way slot previously held by Umude.

Pistons Signing Buddy Boeheim To Two-Way Deal

February 22nd, 2024 at 1:05pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pistons are signing free agent guard/forward Buddy Boeheim to a two-way contract, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). The deal will cover two years.

A long-range shooting specialist, Boeheim has averaged 14.3 points and 3.1 rebounds while shooting 41.8% from three on high volume in 36 games this season (24.3 MPG) for Detroit’s NBA G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise.

The son of longtime Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim was on Detroit’s roster last season as a rookie on a two-way deal. The Pistons declined to give him a qualifying offer last June and renounced his rights in July, but the younger Boeheim played on their Summer League team and signed an Exhibit 10 deal in August that gave him a bonus for playing for the Cruise in 2023/24 after he was waived in October.

Boeheim appeared in 10 games with the Pistons in ’22/23, averaging just 9.0 minutes in those outings. He spent most of his time with the Cruise, where he averaged 12.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 18 games (17 starts). He shot 37.4% on 3-point attempts in the NBAGL but only converted 4-of-25 in his NBA appearances.

The 24-year-old wing will occupy Detroit’s open two-way slot, so no corresponding move will be necessary to sign him. Jared Rhoden and Stanley Umude are the Pistons’ other two-way players, as shown by our tracker.

Monty Williams Says Winning Is The Priority For The Rest Of The Season

February 21st, 2024 at 5:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

Pistons coach Monty Williams said winning as many games as possible will be the priority for the rest of the season, tweets Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. “I’m not going to be throwing certain combinations on the floor just to see how they look,” Williams said. “We’re done with that … we’ll be competing.”

Pistons Waive Malcolm Cazalon

February 21st, 2024 at 4:29pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pistons have created a two-way roster opening by waiving Malcolm Cazalon, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

The 6’6″ shooting guard signed with Detroit last summer after going undrafted. He appeared in just one NBA game back in November and averaged only 9.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 14 regular season contests with the G League’s Motor City Drive.

Cazalon, 22, started his professional career in his native France in 2018, playing for JL Bourg, before moving on to teams in Belgium and Serbia. He originally declared for the NBA draft in 2022 before withdrawing his name and deciding to wait a year.

March 4 is the deadline to sign players to two-way contracts, so the Pistons will likely make a move before then.