- Cade Cunningham is the only untouchable player on the Pistons‘ roster, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic writes in his annual evaluation of the team’s most valuable assets. Even though he missed most of last season after shin surgery, Cunningham is still viewed around the league as a potential superstar, according to Edwards. Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren and rookie Ausar Thompson follow Cunningham on Edwards’ list.
- Overtime Elite general manager Gerald Wilkins believes Thompson has a bright NBA future, per Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. Wilkins offered a glowing recommendation to Jarrett Jack, a new member of the Pistons‘ coaching staff under Monty Williams. “He would ask me things like what are his strengths, what are his weaknesses, how can I get him the ball,” Wilkins said. “I would just tell him, ‘Just put him on the floor. Just put him in the game. They are basketball players, Ausar and Amen. They’re basketball players. You put him on the floor and a lot of good things are going to happen.’”
Pistons guard Cade Cunningham tops the list of potential breakout candidates for the upcoming season, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. Cunningham, who missed most of last season with a shin injury, dazzled while playing this month for the USA Select Team.
Wizards guard Tyus Jones, who has a chance to start after serving as a backup with the Timberwolves and Grizzlies, and Trail Blazers second-year wing Shaedon Sharpe, who put up big numbers late last season, are among the other players who make Cowley’s list.
We have more news from around the basketball world:
- Cooper Flagg’s decision to reclassify makes a significant impact on the 2025 draft, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN. The 2025 draft wasn’t considered particularly strong, so with Flagg eligible to be taken that season, that group now has more star power. Despite his unorthodox game built around defense and passing, rather than scoring prowess, Flagg is the early favorite to be the top pick of that draft.
- J.P. Macura is signing with Happy Casa Brindisi of Italy, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (Twitter link). Macura made three cameo appearances in the NBA — two games with the Hornets in 2018/19 and one with the Cavaliers the following season. Macura has played the last two seasons in Italy after a one-year stop in Turkey.
- Dwyane Wade, who was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame on Saturday, wasn’t a slam dunk to be selected by the Heat in the lottery in 2003, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel notes. Team president Pat Riley said the club was in need of a big but when Toronto took Chris Bosh, Wade slipped to Miami’s pick at No. 5 overall.
Guard Zavier Simpson gained a spot on the Pistons’ training camp roster and the former Wolverines star is thrilled to wear a Detroit uniform, he told Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press.
“It’s tremendous,” Simpson said of joining the Pistons. “Being able to be back here, it’s almost like home. Being able to play for the University of Michigan and have a tremendous career, and being able also to come here in Detroit and also play. It’s phenomenal. I’m excited, I love it and obviously the new coaching staff is coming in, which is phenomenal. Blessed to be a part of it, and it’s home so just want to keep working and do the most I can with the opportunity, and leave the results to the results.”
The Pistons’ NBA G League affiliate, Motor City Cruise, recently announced it has acquired Simpson’s returning player rights through a trade with the Magic’s affiliate team.
Victor Wembanyama‘s first NBA game takes place on Oct. 25, one day after opening day, according to NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link). The Spurs play the Mavericks on the second day of the regular season, pitting Wembanyama against Dallas star Luka Doncic.
The Spurs’ offseason revolved around developing their young corps, featuring players like Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson and Jeremy Sochan, along with taking in big contracts in exchange for draft capital. Meanwhile, the Mavericks made several moves in free agency and in the draft to help them rebound from a lackluster 2022/23.
Stein also tweets that the full ’23/24 schedule release is expected next week. Shams Charania reported the NBA’s opening day lineup and the slate of Christmas Day games earlier today.
Here are more notes from around the basketball world:
- With the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2023 induction taking place this weekend, The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov explored candidacies of several players for the Hall. Vorkunov evaluates DeMar DeRozan, Paul George and Kyrie Irving‘s respective cases. Even though he lists all as “near locks,” DeRozan and Irving could be on the cusp. In total, Vorkunov lists 41 players, breaking them into tiers for their likelihood of reaching the Hall. Vorkunov predicts some are obvious locks to be named, like LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo, while others like Rajon Rondo and Blake Griffin, might not make it. Vorkunov also discusses players who are on track to be named to the Hall, like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Bam Adebayo, and breaks down why Derrick Rose will be the only MVP to not make the Hall of Fame. I recommend reading the article in full, some picks may surprise you.
- Spotrac contributor Keith Smith made his first pass at 2024 cap space projections (Twitter link). Smith lists seven teams that are projected to have over $20MM in cap to work with. The Spurs lead the way with projected 2024 cap space, sitting at $55.3MM, according to Smith, while the Magic are close behind with $51.3MM to spend. The Jazz, Hornets, Pistons, Sixers and Wizards round out the top seven. Pascal Siakam, LeBron James (player option), James Harden and DeMar DeRozan are among the players who could be available next free agency.
- The FIBA U18 European Championship took place from July 22-30. The event is a great tool to evaluate future NBA prospects, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, who says that more than four first-round picks per year participated in the event between 2011-21. Givony lists his top 10 prospects from the event (subscription required). UCLA-bound Aday Mara, Mohamed Diawara and Mario Saint-Supery are among the players who crack Givony’s top 10. Givony lists 17-year-old Hugo Gonzalez as his pick for best player at the tournament, as he impressed with his blend of size, frame, shot creation and feel.
- Players like Kemba Walker, Willy Hernangomez and Raul Neto are among those who made the move to play in Europe next season. In recent years, we’ve seen players like Nikola Mirotic depart the NBA in the middle of their primes in order to pursue opportunities in Europe. Jabari Parker, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, recently signed overseas and is one of the highest-selected draft picks to do so. Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews (subscriber link) explores why players are making such moves overseas and why European basketball might be an appealing alternative to the NBA or other overseas leagues for players.
Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart appear to be the favorites to start at center and power forward for the Pistons heading into training camp, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes in a mailbag column. Langlois sees them as having a clear edge over James Wiseman and Marvin Bagley III. He cites Duren’s impressive showing at Summer League, which he followed up with a strong performance as part of the Select Team that scrimmaged against Team USA’s World Cup squad.
The bigger concern for Wiseman and Bagley, according to Langlois, is whether new head coach Monty Williams is willing to give regular playing time to four big men. They could be battling for one rotation role, not only in camp but throughout the season.
Langlois also raises the possibility that Williams won’t want to start two traditional big men. That could lead to Bojan Bogdanovic getting the starting nod as a stretch four, with Isaiah Livers possibly claiming the other forward spot.
There’s more on the Pistons:
- Killian Hayes needs to establish himself as an NBA player as he enters the final year of his rookie contract, but his path to playing time appears to be blocked, Langlois adds. Cade Cunningham‘s return will consume a lot of the backcourt minutes, and Hayes will have to compete with Jaden Ivey, Alec Burks, newcomer Monte Morris and rookie Marcus Sasser as well. Langlois suggests that Hayes might be included in a multi-player trade at some point to help balance salaries.
- Overtime Elite trainer Luke Cooper believes Ausar Thompson has the drive to become a star, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Cooper said Thompson’s obsession to excel at every part of the game led to some late-night phone calls during their two years of working together. “I’ll get a text or call saying, ‘I mastered it,’ and I’d have no idea what he was talking about,” Cooper said. “It would be some little move that we worked on earlier that day that bothered him so much because he didn’t feel comfortable with it, so he went to his room and worked on it, in his room, until he felt comfortable with it.”
- In a separate story, Edwards examines potential lineup combinations for the upcoming season, looking at which five-man units might work best in different situations.
The Pistons have officially signed free agent guard Stanley Umude, per RealGM’s transaction log. According to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link), it’s a non-guaranteed training camp contract.
Umude, who went undrafted out of Arkansas in 2022, signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Detroit last September and was waived before the regular season began. He spent most of his rookie year as an affiliate player for the Motor City Cruise, the Pistons’ G League team, earning a brief NBA call-up when he signed a 10-day contract with Detroit in February.
Umude appeared in just one NBA game, but was a rotation regular for the Cruise throughout the NBAGL’s Showcase Cup and regular season. He played in 43 total games for Motor City, averaging 15.4 points and 5.1 rebounds in 27.5 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .414/.369/.775.
The Pistons are carrying 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts and a pair on two-way deals, so it’s possible Umude will given the opportunity to compete for the final 15-man or two-way spot on the regular season roster. If he’s waived before the season begins, the 24-year-old looks like a good candidate to rejoin the Cruise as a returning rights player.
Multiple reporters have confirmed the news — originally reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski — that Pistons guard Cade Cunningham was offered a spot on Team USA’s World Cup roster. Cunningham said last week that he declined the invitation to manage his workload for the upcoming 2023/24 season after being to 12 games in ’22/23 following shin surgery.
According to Marc Stein at Substack, USA Basketball had a longstanding interest in Cunningham joining the senior men’s team, but the organization also recognized that it was an “extreme long shot” to land him.
As Stein explains, Cunningham would have needed to commit to the full six-week time frame, which includes several exhibition games and lengthy international travel. Given how long he was sidelined, it makes sense that the 2021 No. 1 overall pick decided to be cautious; Detroit wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about the idea either, according to Stein.
Here’s more from Stein:
- Why was USA Basketball so interested in Cunningham? As Stein observes, he fits the mold of a physical guard that was a priority for the roster, which includes Jalen Brunson, Anthony Edwards, Austin Reaves and Josh Hart (though Hart is more of a wing than a traditional ball-handling guard).
- The lack of physicality may explain why Hawks guard Trae Young isn’t on the World Cup roster, despite USAB managing director Grant Hill being a part owner of Atlanta, Stein writes. Young was disappointed to not make the team and recently said he’d welcome the opportunity to represent Team USA at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Stein adds.
- Former ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy will serve as Team USA’s scouting director for the World Cup, Stein reports. Van Gundy has been associated with USAB for several years, including serving as head coach from 2017-19 when the team was comprised of non-NBA players during qualifying rounds, Stein notes.
- The Lakers remain interested in free agent big man Christian Wood, sources tell Stein. However, they used most of their non-taxpayer mid-level exception on Gabe Vincent and their bi-annual exception on Taurean Prince, so they can basically only offer Wood the veteran’s minimum. While the Mavericks are open to a Wood sign-and-trade, neither the Lakers nor the Heat are believed to be viable partners in that scenario, according to Stein.
- The Celtics are interested in re-signing free agent big man Blake Griffin, league sources tell Stein, but it’s unclear if that interest is mutual. Griffin appeared in 41 regular season games with Boston in ’22/23, averaging career lows of 4.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG and 13.9 MPG. He also only played one game for six total minutes in the playoffs, despite the Celtics having 20 postseason contests.
After being limited to 19 games in 2021/22 — his rookie season — due to a right foot stress fracture he sustained in college, Pistons forward Isaiah Livers now realizes he may have done more harm than good with his strenuous workout regimen last offseason. He appeared in just 52 games during his sophomore campaign in ’22/23, having dealt with multiple injuries.
As Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press writes, Livers has taken a different, more measured approach this summer in an effort to prepare his body for an 82-game schedule.
“I’ve built a new friendship with the weight room,” Livers told Sankofa. “I feel a lot more explosive, bouncier, and I feel more in control of my body. It’s no secret, the No. 1 thing about me is just avoiding injuries. It’s been some small injuries. I tweaked my workout plan to the point where I won’t have those wear-and-tears, those nagging injuries. I’ve been put on a smart plan where I’m not overworking myself. This is the season. I’m excited and we have big things to look forward to.”
A relentless worker, Livers admits it hasn’t been easy to take a step back, but he knows ’23/24 will be a key season for his future. As Sankofa notes, the former second-round pick will be headed to restricted free agency next summer after Detroit exercised its team option on his contract at the end of June.
Livers also spoke to Sankofa about the return of Cade Cunningham and new head coach Monty Williams, among other topics. It’s an interesting, thoughtful interview and worth checking out for Pistons fans.
Here’s more from the East:
- Both Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson are thrilled to be able to represent Team USA in international competition, and the Nets are fully supportive of their choices, Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes in a subscriber-only piece. “It seems so much fun,” Johnson said. “You know, I’ve talked to people that have played, I’ve talked to people that have been a part of it. They said it’s such a valuable experience for your career, and you can learn a lot from it. And then you just get the experience to see high level basketball across the world in a different type of environment. So I’m really looking forward to it.”
- Knicks guard Jalen Brunson believes playing for Team USA in the World Cup this summer will be beneficial for him entering the 2023/24 season, according to Ethan Sears of The New York Post. “I think it’s another way to get ready for training camp,” Brunson said. “You gotta look at it and see the positives that come out of this, going towards the NBA season. I know I’ll be ready for that. I think for me, my mindset is focused on this and not really worrying about what’s going on ahead right now.”
- Brian Robb of MassLive.com covers a number of Celtics topics in a mailbag article. Most of the questions are centered around how the team should fill out the end of the roster. Robb would take a patient approach and thinks free agent big man Christian Wood is an unlikely target for a variety of reasons.
- Pistons guard Cade Cunningham has been the standout player on the U.S. Select Team that has been competing against Team USA’s World Cup squad this week in Las Vegas and has beaten it in multiple scrimmages so far, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. While Cunningham’s play in those scrimmages is encouraging for the Pistons and their fans, the former No. 1 pick says he’s simply happy to be back to 100% after a leg injury limited him to 12 games in 2022/23. “I feel healthy again,” Cunningham said. “My leg isn’t a problem for me right now. So I think that’s the biggest difference, just that I can just play freely and not think about my body too much.”
- Given Cunningham’s strong play in Vegas, it’s fair to wonder whether he should be a part of Team USA’s actual World Cup roster instead of the Select Team. A previous report indicated that the Pistons guard was invited to join the World Cup team, which Joe Vardon of The Athletic confirms. According to Vardon, Cunningham explained this week that a desire to manage his workload this summer ahead of his NBA return was the “deciding factor” in turning down that invitation.
The Canadian cities of Vancouver and Montréal will each host one preseason game in October as part of the NBA’s ninth Canada Series, the league announced in a press release.
According to the NBA, the Raptors and Kings will face off on October 8 in Vancouver, while Montréal will host the Thunder and Pistons on October 12.
Three Canadians will take part in the games — Trey Lyles (Kings), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) and Luguentz Dort (Thunder). Dort will be playing in his hometown.
“After growing up and learning to play the game of basketball in Montréal, it will be a special experience to play a preseason game in my hometown,” Dort said. “Canada and Montréal are home to some of the best basketball fans in the world, and I’m looking forward to taking the floor at Bell Centre.”
The Canada Series has featured 15 NBA teams in 16 preseason games across six cities since it launched in 2012. The 2023/24 regular season tips off on October 24.