Detroit Pistons Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pistons Waive Dwight Buycks

July 7th, 2018 at 5:23pm CST by Austin Kent

JULY 7, 5:23pm: Buycks has officially been waived, tweets Rod Beard of The Detroit News.

JULY 5, 7:39pm: The Pistons will waive backup point guard Dwight Buycks, Michael Scotto of The Athletic reports. The 29-year-old averaged 7.4 points and 2.0 assists per game off the bench for Detroit in 2017/18.

Had he remained on the roster through September 1, his minimum deal for 2018/19 would have become guaranteed.

While Buycks battled for key reserve minutes behind de facto starter Ish Smith last season, the return of a healthy Reggie Jackson bumped him further down the team’s depth chart.

With Buycks out of the picture, the Pistons will rely on Jackson and Smith, with recently signed veteran Jose Calderon available for spot minutes.

As for Buycks, who had been out of the NBA since 2014/15 prior to catching on in Detroit, it’s back to the open market.

Pistons Sign Second-Rounder Bruce Brown

July 7th, 2018 at 8:40am CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have signed second-round pick Bruce Brown to his first NBA contract, per RealGM’s official transactions log. While full details of the deal aren’t yet known, it’ll be a multiyear pact.

Detroit is over the cap, but the team could give Brown a contract longer than two years by using a portion of its mid-level exception to complete the signing. Glenn Robinson‘s agreement with the Pistons will eat up part of that MLE, but there’s more than enough remaining to sign Brown with it too.

Brown, a 6’5″ shooting guard, declared for the 2018 draft after a somewhat disappointing season for Miami. Despite a slight uptick in minutes, he saw his PPG (11.4), FG% (.415), 3PT% (.267), and FT% (.629) decline in his sophomore year, though he did increase his RPG (7.1) and APG (4.0). Brown’s season came to an early end due to a left foot injury — he played his last game on January 27.

The Pistons remained bullish enough on Brown – who is a strong perimeter defender – to make him the 42nd overall pick last month. While there’s no rookie scale for second-rounders, most of the players picked in the 40-45 range in 2017 still received two guaranteed years, so Brown could be in line for a similar deal.

Former Nets Assistant Join Front Office

July 6th, 2018 at 11:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons have hired Nets executive Gregg Polinsky as their director of player personnel, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. Pistons senior advisor Ed Stefanski and Polinsky worked together in Brooklyn, Wojnarowski adds. Polinsky had the same title with the Nets but his role will expand in Detroit. Pat Garrity and Andrew Loomis, who were assistant GMs under former team president Stan Van Gundy, will continue in their roles, according to Rod Beard of the Detroit News. The Pistons could bring in another assistant GM to focus on analytics, Beard adds.
Tim Grgurich is likely to join Dwane Casey’s coaching staff with the Pistons, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press tweets. Grgurich, 76, has a long career as an NBA assistant and most recently was a consultant with the Bucks.

Ed Stefanski Producing Immediate Results

July 3rd, 2018 at 10:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

Ed Stefanski has been maximizing his resources since taking over as senior adviser for the Pistons, notes Rod Beard of The Detroit News. In his brief time in the new role, Stefanski hired the reigning Coach of the Year in Dwane Casey, added Malik Rose to the front office, drafted two promising second-rounders in Khyri Thomas and Bruce Brown, then added Jose Calderon and Glenn Robinson III in free agency.
Pistons guard Luke Kennard suffered a left knee strain during practice that will force him to miss summer league, the team tweeted. The decision to hold him out is most likely a precaution, Beard notes (Twitter link).

Pistons Sign Jose Calderon

July 2nd, 2018 at 2:51pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 7: The signing is official, the Pistons announced on Twitter.

JULY 2: The Pistons have reached an agreement with veteran point guard Jose Calderon, according to ESPN’s Chris Haynes (Twitter link). League sources tell Haynes that’s worth $2.4MM, which means it’s a minimum-salary deal.

The agreement will reunite Calderon with new Pistons head coach Dwane Casey, who coached the 36-year-old several seasons ago in Toronto.

A 13-year NBA veteran, Calderon spent the 2017/18 with the Cavaliers. Although he played a modest role with the club, he was solid when called upon, averaging 4.5 PPG and 2.1 APG with a .503/.464/.800 shooting line.

While it’s a low-cost investment for the Pistons, it’s a somewhat curious one. The team was already well-stocked at the point guard spot, with Reggie Jackson and Ish Smith atop the depth chart and Langston Galloway occasionally getting ball-handling duties too. However, it’s possible Detroit has another move in mind. The club is exploring possible trades, according to Rod Beard of The Detroit News (Twitter link), who identifies Smith, Galloway, and Jon Leuer as potential chips.

Calderon figures to take Dwight Buycks‘ place on Detroit’s roster. Buycks has a $1.6MM non-guaranteed salary for next season, but waiving him would help give the Pistons a little extra distance below the tax line, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks details (via Twitter).

Pistons Sign Glenn Robinson III

July 1st, 2018 at 1:11pm CST by ChrisCrouse

JULY 7: The signing is official, the Pistons announced on Twitter.

JULY 1: The Pistons are finalizing a deal to bring Glenn Robinson III to Detroit, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The pact will be for $8.3MM over two seasons with only the first year guaranteed.

Detroit will be using part of its mid-level exception to accommodate the deal. The franchise is over the cap, committing approximately $115.7MM in salary for the 2018/19 season before factoring in Robinson’s deal.

The University of Michigan product showed some promise during his time with the Pacers over the past three seasons, though injuries robbed him of consistency. He played in just 23 games during the 2017/18 campaign.

The 24-year-old is a career 38.1% marksman from behind the arc. That figure that includes shooting 41.2% on 34 attempts last season. He should be able to compete for a spot in Detroit’s wing rotation, an area that proved to have its issues after the team traded away much of its depth in the Blake Griffin deal.

Free Agent Notes: Stephenson, Tolliver, McGee, O’Quinn

July 1st, 2018 at 11:50am CST by Arthur Hill

Plenty of teams will have interest in Lance Stephenson once the higher-profile free agents are signed, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News. The Pacers remain open to bringing back the 27-year-old swingman after declining their team option on him this week. Wolfson lists the Timberwolves, Knicks, Sixers and Lakers as other interested teams, but says there are more.

Stephenson appeared in all 82 games for Indiana this season, averaging 9.2 points per night. He would have made $4.36MM in 2018/19 if the Pacers had picked up his option.

There’s more free agent news to pass along:

Timberwolves coach/executive Tom Thibodeau has talked to Pistons free agent Anthony Tolliver, according to Wolfson (Twitter link). Tolliver shot 44% from 3-point range this season, and Minnesota sees him as a possible replacement for Jamal Crawford. The Wolves also like his locker room presence, which could be valuable if Cole Aldrich doesn’t come back.
JaVale McGee has said he wants to return to the Warriors, but he is also getting interest from the Lakers, Pelicans and Thunder, tweets TNT’s David Aldridge. Because of luxury tax concerns, Golden State is unlikely to offer more than a veteran’s minimum contract, while the other teams have more financial flexibility. McGee averaged 4.8 PPG and 2.6RPG this season, but his numbers rose after he became a starter after the All-Star break. This is the third straight summer of free agency for McGee, who has spent the past two seasons with the Warriors.
The new contract for Luke Kornet is a sign that Kyle O’Quinn won’t return to the Knicks, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. He adds that the Sixers are showing “heavy interest” in O’Quinn, who spent the past three years in New York as a backup center.
The Knicks are hoping to re-sign Isaiah Hicks, who was on a two-way contract this season, tweets ESPN’s Ian Begley. New York gave him a qualifying offer last week, making him a free agent and giving the team the right to match any offer. Hicks appeared in 18 NBA games, averaging 4.4 points per night.
A scheduled meeting between Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the Clippers has been moved from today to Monday, tweets Chris Haynes of ESPN.

Sixers Notes: Ennis, Ilyasova, Bird, Milton

July 1st, 2018 at 10:50am CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers have their eyes on free agent forward James Ennis, tweets ESPN’s Ian Begley, but landing him won’t be easy. Detroit owns Early Bird rights on Ennis and has made re-signing him a priority.

Ennis, 28, came to the Pistons at the trade deadline after beginning the season in Memphis. He was a part-time starter in Detroit and averaged 7.5 points per game. He earned a little more than $3MM this season.

The Rockets and Nets have also expressed interest in Ennis, according to Begley. The Pelicans would also like to sign him, but the growing interest may push him outside their price range, adds Scott Kushner of The Advocate (Twitter link). Ennis played nine games in New Orleans at the end of the 2015/16 season.

There’s more from Philadelphia on the first day of free agency:

The Sixers talked to veteran forward Ersan Ilyasova about a return before he signed a three-year, $21MM deal with the Bucks, according to Gery Woelful of The Racine Journal Times (Twitter link). The Lakers, Timberwolves and Raptors were other options for Ilyasova.
The Sixers are among the teams showing interest in Celtics shooting guard Jabari Bird, tweets Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe, who adds that the Wolves are also considering an offer. Bird was a two-way player for Boston this season, appearing in 13 NBA games and averaging 3.0 points in 8.0 minutes per night. He was a big scorer for the Celtics’ G League affiliate in Maine, posting a 19.3/5.8/2.7 line in 20 games. Boston submitted a qualifying offer this week, making Bird a restricted free agent.
Second-round pick Shake Milton will be held out of summer league play because of a stress fracture in his back, reports Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The team plans to re-evaluate him in three weeks. His injury occurred during pre-draft workouts.
Justin Anderson had surgery on his left leg due to recurring tibial stress syndrome, the team announced on its website. He will be re-evaluated in two weeks, then again in six to eight weeks. Anderson has spent the past season and a half in Philadelphia and appeared in 38 games this year.

Pistons Hire Malik Rose As Assistant GM

June 29th, 2018 at 12:25pm CST by ChrisCrouse

JUNE 29: The Pistons have officially hired Rose as an assistant GM, the team announced today in a press release.

“We are pleased to welcome Malik Rose to the Detroit Pistons organization,” Stefanski said in a statement. “Malik has been around successful teams throughout his NBA playing career and now, as a young executive, he brings great basketball knowledge from both a playing and administrative perspective. His engaging and collaborative spirit fits perfectly with the basketball operations staff we are looking to construct.”

JUNE 26: The Pistons will hire Malik Rose as their assistant general manager, a source tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link). It was reported last week that the team would offer the former NBA forward a front office position.

Detroit has still not hired an official GM after parting ways with Jeff Bower, but it doesn’t appear the team will do so. Senior advisor Ed Stefanski is overseeing the team’s moves and functioning as a de facto GM, with the Pistons hiring Dwane Casey as their head coach.

Rose has been with the Hawks since 2015, working as a basketball operations manager. He also served as the GM of the team’s G League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks, and he won the 2017/18 G League Executive of the Year award with the club.

Pistons Will Be In 'Background' Of Free Agency

June 29th, 2018 at 10:38am CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons will be an over-the-cap team this summer, and may not be able to spend their full mid-level exception due to their proximity to the tax line. As such, senior advisor Ed Stefanski says he expects Detroit to be in “the background” of free agency, per Kurt Mensching of The Detroit News. “I like where our team is right now,” Stefanski said. “We have more than enough to compete.”
While the Pistons may not aggressively pursue outside free agents, they’d like to bring back a couple of their own. Mensching notes in his article that Detroit has interest in re-signing Anthony Tolliver if the price is right, while a team source tells ESPN’s Ian Begley (Twitter link) that the Pistons have “significant interest” in retaining James Ennis.