Detroit Pistons Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Wizards Acquire Bagley, Livers From Pistons In Four-Player Trade

January 14th, 2024 at 2:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

2:31pm: The trade is now official, Detroit has announced in a press release (Twitter link).

9:35am: The Pistons will send Marvin Bagley III, Isaiah Livers and two second-round picks to the Wizards in exchange for Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The picks are for 2025 and 2026, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Detroit used some of its draft assets to offload Bagley’s contract, which will pay him $12.5MM next season. The other three players in the trade are all on expiring deals, with Livers at $1.8MM, Gallinari at $6.8MM and Muscala at $3.5MM.

Bagley had been a part-time starter since being acquired from Sacramento at the 2022 trade deadline, but the organization is motivated to create as much cap space as possible in the wake of a disastrous season. Detroit will have 11 impending free agents once the trade is finalized and currently projects to have about $64MM to work with in free agency, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.

This could be the start of a complete overhaul for the 3-36 Pistons heading into the February 8 trade deadline, suggests Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports cites a high-ranking source who tells him the deal is just the “first step” (Twitter link).

There are several options available for the two draft picks in the trade, observes John Hollinger of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 2025 selection could be a return of Washington’s pick, while the 2026 choice could be from Minnesota, New York, New Orleans or Portland.

Bagley, the second overall selection in the 2018 draft, will get a chance to revive his career with another rebuilding team in Washington. Although he was averaging 10.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 26 games this season, he was an awkward fit for a team that already had Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart and James Wiseman in its big-man rotation.

Livers, a 25-year-old forward, established himself as a rotation player in Detroit after being drafted in the second round in 2021. He averaged 5.0 points and 2.1 rebounds in 23 games this season, but was shooting career lows of 34.5% from the field and 28.6% from three-point range.

Gallinari appeared in 26 games in his first year with the Wizards after sitting out all of last season with a torn ACL. The 35-year-old forward was averaging 7.0 points and 2.9 rebounds in 14.8 minutes per night.

Muscala, 32, was acquired from Boston last summer in the same deal as Gallinari. He averaged 4.0 points and 3.1 rebounds in 24 games in his brief time in Washington.

The Pistons will also create a $5.7MM trade exception in the deal, according to cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link).

Trade Rumors: Cavaliers, Nets, LaVine, Siakam, More

January 11th, 2024 at 4:25pm CST by Rory Maher

Appearing on his Wine and Gold Talk podcast alongside co-host Ethan Sands, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com examined fake trade proposals from listeners, with one centered on the Cavaliers acquiring Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith. Fedor thinks that scenario is plausible, as NetsDaily.com relays.

“Dorian Finney-Smith is somebody that I do believe that the Cavs have interest in,” Fedor said. “He is somebody who can play the three and the four, he can shoot well enough from the outside spacing the floor.”

As Fedor explains, the Cavs haven’t shown any interest in discussing any of their core four players (Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen), but if the Nets make Finney-Smith available, he’d be the type of player Cleveland would covet and possibly have a chance to acquire, since his price tag probably wouldn’t be “exorbitant.” There have been reports in the past saying the Nets wanted two first-round picks for Finney-Smith, but that could mean a lot of things.

Cleveland tried to trade for fellow Nets forward Royce O’Neale last season, Fedor added, but obviously Brooklyn wasn’t interested.

As for what might be sent Brooklyn’s way, a source tells Fedor that “the Nets have shown interest in Dean Wade in the past.” Fedor also strongly suggested the Cavs wouldn’t be opposed to moving Wade, which is logical — if none of the core players are sent out, Wade is one of the only two-for-one salary-matching pieces (he makes $5.7MM) that makes sense, though the Cavs would have to add more salary to acquire Finney-Smith ($13.9MM).

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:

The Cavaliers were interested in a sign-and-trade for P.J. Washington in the offseason, but the Hornets weren’t interested in what Cleveland had to offer and Fedor thinks that is likely still the case. However, Fedor expects Cleveland to check-in on Washington’s availability again prior to the trade deadline.
Elsewhere in the podcast, Fedor said the Cavaliers would consider moving former lottery pick Isaac Okoro in the right deal. Okoro will be a restricted free agent in the summer after he was unable to come to terms on a rookie scale extension with Cleveland. Wade and Okoro ($8.9MM), for example, could work as a framework for Finney-Smith or Washington, though it remains to be seen if Brooklyn or Charlotte would be intrigued by that.
Rival teams remain skeptical the Bulls will be able to move Zach LaVine this season, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, who says Chicago is focused on players who can help the team be competitive now instead of a rebuild. LaVine’s long-term contract (four years, $180MM) is a key obstacle in talks, Fischer adds.
“Several teams” are interested in Raptors forward Pascal Siakam, including the Kings, Pacers, Pistons and Mavericks, all of whom have been described as “active buyers,” Fischer reports. The Warriors have also had internal discussions about Siakam. However, Siakam’s camp believes he’ll be able to sign a long-term maximum-salary contract in free agency, and the two-time All-NBA forward doesn’t appear to have interest in a short-term extension if he’s traded, according to Fischer, who points out that Indiana, Detroit and the Sixers all project to have cap room in 2024 and could sign Siakam outright, perhaps lowering the odds that one of those teams will give up significant assets to acquire him ahead of the trade deadline. That’s why some rivals think Toronto might end up keeping Siakam and possibly extending him instead of losing him for nothing in free agency, Fischer explains.

Latest On Dejounte Murray

January 11th, 2024 at 2:28pm CST by Rory Maher

Hawks guard Dejounte Murray has a “substantial” group of teams interested in his services in early trade talks around the NBA, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, who hears from sources who say Atlanta seems focused on retooling its roster for a playoff push rather than rebuilding.

As Fischer explains, the Spurs continue to be linked to Murray, but they likely don’t have the types of players that would appeal to Atlanta in a possible deal. The Bulls discussed the concept of a Zach LaVine trade for Murray, but the Hawks didn’t show much interest in that idea, sources tell Fischer.

Multiple league personnel view the Nets as an “ideal” landing spot from Murray’s side of the equation, but Brooklyn hasn’t had serious conversations about Murray, and the team doesn’t seem to be actively pursuing him right now, says Fischer.

Fischer hears rivals view Murray as a “true plus” on defense, though his reputation on that end “may have been overstated” in recent seasons. Murray’s four-year, $111MM+ contract extension (it kicks in next season) is viewed as relatively team-friendly, given the 27-year-old’s talent level, Fischer adds.

According to Fischer, the Hawks have been aggressive in reaching out to opposing teams “with actual trade concepts” instead of “general interest in specific players.” Five teams are viewed as Murray suitors ahead of the trade deadline: the Lakers, Knicks, Sixers, Heat and Pistons.

Here’s more from Fischer on Murray and his potential suitors:

The Lakers continue to say they don’t want to trade Austin Reaves, sources tell Fischer. A deal for Murray could transpire if they include Reaves, according to Fischer, but L.A. may want Atlanta to sweeten the pot a little too in that scenario. D’Angelo Russell, on the other hand, has not been valued by rival teams in trade discussions.
The Knicks are looking for depth at point guard and center, per Fischer. While recent reports have indicated that Murray’s agent — Rich Paul of Klutch Sports — would prefer not to deal with New York, Fischer hears Murray is “in favor of a fresh start,” and those same reports said Paul would help facilitate a deal if his client asked for it. Still, Fischer wonders if the fit of Murray and Jalen Brunson would be any more fruitful than Murray’s pairing with Trae Young. The Hawks have valued Quentin Grimes in previous trade talks, Fischer adds.
The Sixers aren’t in a rush to move their draft assets, sources tell Fischer, but they have been “conducting due diligence” on point guards, though Wizards veteran Tyus Jones doesn’t appear to be on their list. Fischer suggests if Philadelphia and Atlanta do discuss Murray, a deal probably won’t come together until closer to the deadline. The Sixers aren’t expected to be trade suitors for Zach LaVine or Pascal Siakam, Fischer reports.
The Heat appear to be looking for ball-handlers, so Murray makes some sense, but Fischer hears the two Southeast rivals haven’t had any “substantive” talks after initial conversations.
The Pistons sit in last place, but their historically inept season could make them more willing to consider bold moves, Fischer writes, noting that Detroit is also interested in Siakam. Still, “smaller tweaks” are considered a more likely outcome, per Fischer.

Trade Rumors: Siakam, Pacers, Walker, Kings, Hawks, Pistons

January 10th, 2024 at 2:06pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers are viewed by some rival executives as the leader in the Pascal Siakam sweepstakes, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic.

Indiana has long been in the market for a power forward who can match up with bigger wings and forwards, and reportedly made an effort to land OG Anunoby before the Raptors sent him to New York. The Pacers also control all their own future first-round picks and have some intriguing youngsters whom they could be willing to discuss in a deal for an impact player.

However, during a Q&A session on Threads today, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN said that he believes the Pacers are “very, very determined” not to include their 2023 lottery pick Jarace Walker in a trade. Walker hasn’t played much so far this season, logging just 100 total minutes across 12 NBA appearances, but Indiana is “very high” on the rookie forward, per Wojnarowski.

Here are a few more trade-related rumors and notes from around the NBA:

Siakam doesn’t view Sacramento as a good long-term fit for him, according to Amick, who hears from a pair of league sources that the Kings should have “very little, if any, optimism” about re-signing the Raptors forward if he’s traded there. No matter where he eventually ends up, Siakam will be seeking a long-term, maximum-salary contract, Amick adds.
Elsewhere in his Q&A on Threads, Wojnarowski says that he believes the Hawks are open to “almost anything” at the trade deadline and suggests that the Trae Young/Dejounte Murray backcourt pairing appears to have run its course. Atlanta continues to discuss Murray trade possibilities with teams around the NBA, according to Wojnarowski.
The Pistons haven’t made any roster moves since team owner Tom Gores promised that changes were coming, but it’s not for lack of trying, Wojnarowski writes on Threads. Woj suggests that potential trade partners may not be ready to deal yet and says he expects Detroit to make trades by next month’s deadline that change the make-up of the roster. Exploring that subject, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic took a look at some possible trade targets for the Pistons, discussing Nets forward Royce O’Neale and Warriors wing Andrew Wiggins, among others.

Monte Morris Finally Ramping Up Activity

January 9th, 2024 at 6:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

With Cade Cunningham sidelined by a left knee strain, the Pistons would love to have guard Monte Morris available. However, Morris has been out all season due to a quad injury.

Morris could be a trade chip for the Pistons — he has an expiring $9.8MM contract.

Cade Cunningham Will Be Reevaluated In 7-10 Days

January 9th, 2024 at 9:27am CST by Dana Gauruder

JANUARY 9: The Pistons announced today in a press release that Cunningham has been diagnosed with a left knee strain and will be reevaluated in about seven-to-10 days.

JANUARY 8: The Pistons got some good news regarding Cade Cunningham‘s latest ailment. He avoided a serious injury to his left knee, according to Shams Charania and James Edwards III of The Athletic (via Twitter).

Cunningham didn’t play in the second half of the Pistons’ loss to Denver on Sunday due what the team described as a knee strain. There was no obvious play in which he was injured and there’s been speculation he might have tweaked the knee in the team’s previous game against Golden State.

“Our franchise player. A guy like that can’t play, it has a trickle-down effect across the board,” coach Monty Williams said during the postgame press conference. “We have different guys stepping up in the pecking order, having to handle the ball and make plays and that kind of thing. Pretty clear how important Cade is to our program.”

Cunningham could miss at least a few games, The Athletic duo adds. Detroit has a back-to-back against Sacramento on Tuesday and San Antonio on Wednesday. The Pistons will complete a three-game home stand against Houston on Friday.

Cunningham, the top pick of the 2021 draft, missed most of last season due to shin surgery. He’s averaging 22.8 points, 7.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds in his third season in the league.

Detroit is 3-33, having dropped four straight since snapping its record-breaking 28-game losing streak.

Central Notes: LaVine, Ball, Lillard, Beasley, Cunningham

January 8th, 2024 at 5:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bulls continue to make Zach LaVine available but they’re not looking to ship out multiple veterans and enter into a full-fledged rebuild, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack post.

In fact, the Bulls haven’t ruled out using Lonzo Ball‘s insurance-covered contract as part of a trade package to be buyers on the market. LaVine holds a $21,395,348 player option on his contract for next season. However, 80% of Ball’s contract is covered by league-provided insurance because he’s been sidelined so long. A potential trade partner could lower its payroll by acquiring Ball and inheriting the Bulls’ insurance payments.

We have more from the Central Division:

Speaking of LaVine, who returned from a foot injury on Friday, he’s now dealing with right shoulder soreness, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago tweets. LaVine is available for tonight’s game against Charlotte after being listed as questionable.
Damian Lillard will miss the Bucks’ game on Monday for personal reasons, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets. Lillard, averaging 25.1 points and 6.9 assists in his first season with Milwaukee, has played in 34 of the Bucks’ first 36 games.
Malik Beasley wasn’t upset that Bucks coach Adrian Griffin benched him at the beginning of the second half against Houston on Saturday, Nehm adds in another tweet. “It was just coach’s decision. And like I said, I could play better. And on to the next one,” he said.
The Pistons are listing Cade Cunningham as out for Tuesday’s game against the Kings due to a left knee strain, James Edwards III of The Athletic tweets. Cunningham didn’t play in the second half of their loss at Denver on Sunday night

Pistons Notes: Cunningham, Hayes, Sasser, Ivey, Thompson

January 8th, 2024 at 10:57am CST by Arthur Hill

A historically bad season in Detroit has the potential to get much worse. Cade Cunningham, who’s been one of the Pistons‘ few bright spots in this 3-33 campaign, left Sunday’s loss at Denver with a strained left knee midway through the second quarter, writes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press.

There wasn’t a single play on which Cunningham appeared to get hurt, which raises more concerns about the potential injury. Coach Monty Williams wasn’t able to provide any specifics after the game, and Sankofa states that the team can’t rule out the chance that Cunningham will miss more time.

“He’s important,” Williams said. “Our franchise player. A guy like that can’t play, it has a trickle-down effect across the board. We have different guys stepping up in the pecking order, having to handle the ball and make plays and that kind of thing. Pretty clear how important Cade is to our program.”

Amid the Pistons’ disastrous season, Cunningham has enjoyed a career year, averaging 23.4 points, 7.4 assists and 4.1 rebounds while appearing in all 36 games so far. The top pick in the 2021 draft has been playing his best basketball recently, Sankofa adds, scoring 30 points or more in six of his last nine games. He has also improved as a play-maker while reducing his turnover rate and has shown no lingering effects from the shin surgery that limited him to 12 games last season.

There’s more on the Pistons:

Killian Hayes replaced Cunningham in the starting lineup for the second half Sunday and Marcus Sasser was back in the rotation, notes James L. Edwards of The Athletic. They’re likely to have expanded roles if Cunningham is forced to miss games, and Edwards expects Jaden Ivey to be given more play-making duties. Edwards also notes that the Pistons are considered to be buyers rather than sellers as the trade deadline approaches, hoping to add veteran leaders to mentor their young talent, but a prolonged absence for Cunningham could make them reconsider that approach.
In an interview with Basket USA, Hayes expressed a desire to continue his career with the Pistons beyond this season. He’s headed toward restricted free agency after not reaching an extension with the team. “Right now, I’m in Detroit and we’re going to do everything we can to finish the season strong and then we’ll have discussions this summer,” Hayes said. “I’ve spent my entire NBA career in Detroit and it would be a pleasure to be able to stay. After all, it’s not just me who decides, but Detroit is my home. It’s been my home for three, four years and I hope to stay.”
Williams explained why rookie Ausar Thompson has seen a reduced role after a strong start, Edwards tweets. “Other guys are back and playing and, at the same time, every young player needs to process when they make repetitive mistakes,” Williams said. “There are a number of ways to develop players.”

Cade Showing Growth Despite Team's Record

January 7th, 2024 at 7:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Amid this dismal Pistons season, Cade Cunningham has been one of the few bright spots, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press notes.

Central Notes: Beasley, Giannis, Rubio, Pistons

January 6th, 2024 at 11:45am CST by Tristan Tucker

Appearing on a B/R Live stream with TNT and Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes (Twitter link), Bucks guard Malik Beasley said he bypassed offers worth more money from the Lakers and Mavericks to sign with Milwaukee.

Beasley opened up about his experience in free agency, saying it was “tough” because he closed out the year on a rough note, averaging just 3.0 points per game in the playoffs with Los Angeles after averaging 11.1 PPG during the regular season. The 27-year-old guard said the Lakers wanted to re-sign him on a deal worth about $6MM but explained there were some unknowns regarding his role with Austin Reaves re-signing early in free agency.

Beasley also said he had an offer from the Mavericks worth between $3-6MM, but was again unsure of what his role would be, given that Dallas had a roster filled with guards and shooters.

The seventh-year guard ended up signing with the Bucks on a one-year, minimum contract for a chance to have a bigger role.

“[Bucks general manager] Jon [Horst] is such a great person,” Beasley said. “We talk a lot and he was like ‘You have an opportunity to start here, you have a chance to win a championship.’ And I think for me, most importantly, [the Bucks have] some veterans around [the] team. Most of the teams I have been on, aside from LeBron and AD, they’ve been young.”

Beasley earned a prominent role with Milwaukee right away, starting all 33 of his appearances this year. He’s averaging 11.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per night while shooting a career highs of 48.8% from the field and 46.9% on three-pointers (on 6.3 attempts per game). He’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

We have more notes from the Central Division:

Opening up about his time with the Lakers, Beasley blames himself for how his tenure in L.A. ended (Twitter link via Haynes). “It was more of the past things that happened in my life that caused me to not play at my best,” the Bucks wing said.
Out of the Bucks‘ 10 losses this season, four have come at the hands of the Pacers. Giannis Antetokounmpo is bothered by those losses, writes The Athletic’s Eric Nehm. “Now, when you go back home and you sleep and you wake up, you think about it,” Antetokounmpo said. “Now, when you go back and work out, you think about it. In the All-Star break, when you’re gonna be on an exotic beach with your family, I hope you think about it, you know? … But at the end of the day, it’s good because it gives us time to fix things.“
Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell had a feeling former teammate Ricky Rubio was going to retire, Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor writes. “I feel like he could breathe,” Mitchell said while paying tribute to Rubio. “I’m not speaking for him. But I feel like it’s just one of those things where it’s kind of like that indecision of what you want to do can be a lot. I’m just happy that he finally has time to feel like he can breathe and go pick up his son from school and be with his family in Spain. He’s been playing this game professionally at the highest of levels and had this expectation of himself since he was a teenager.“
Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff also paid tribute to Rubio, as detailed in a story from ESPN. “I owe Ricky a debt of gratitude that there’s only a couple of guys who I could say at this point have had the impact on me that way,” Bickerstaff said. “He helped us, in a brief period of time, turn this organization into what you see in front of you. His presence allowed me to coach the team in a certain way where no one was too big to sacrifice.“
The Pistons are widely expected to make a trade of some sort after setting the NBA record for consecutive losses in a season, and The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III thinks Detroit will add some veterans around the margins. In his mailbag, Edwards confirms there’s great interest league-wide in Pistons vet Bojan Bogdanovic but says he doesn’t expect Detroit to trade him just to trade him. The Pistons are in a difficult position, Edwards writes, because the young players who would bring in a difference-making haul are guys the team should build around.